Post by Trojan Warrior on Dec 12, 2013 17:06:47 GMT -6
by Jeremy Wise
In the latter stages of their game against Alabama State Saturday, Troy Trojans head coach Phil Cunningham saw a side of Kevin Thomas he had been waiting to see all season.
The tall, lanky big man first threw down a monster dunk, then he ranged across the entire floor to pick up rebound after rebound. After the 85-69 win was in the books, Thomas had recorded his second straight double-double – a 19-point, 11-rebound performance.
While the statistics may not be overtly better than his season averages (12.9 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game), it was the intensity Cunningham saw from the very chill Canadian forward from Ajax, Ontario.
“In the last seven, eight minutes of the game, I think what really got him going was that dunk,” Cunningham said. “Something like that … gets the crowd going, gets your teammates going, really makes you elevate your play.”
When fans see Thomas on the court, he stands out. The 6-foot-8 junior college transfer is capable of making several type of plays, including good passes. Against LaGrange College, Thomas had four assists.
But there are times that Thomas tends to disappear.
Against Nicholls State, he had just eight points. Against Central Arkansas, Thomas had just three shot attempts but managed to make it to 11 points thanks to the free throw line.
To understand where Thomas is now and where he could be heading under Cunningham, one has to look at how he arrived in Pike County in the first place.
A snowbird flies South
Thomas grew up most of his life in Ajax, which is close to the province’s major city, Toronto. The forward emerged as a strong AAU player, and when his AAU coach left to take over a prep school in North Carolina, the coach invited him to come along.
Thomas said the decision was fairly easy. (Full Article)
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