May 21, 2008
Thomas returns closer to home
Chicago was once known as the city of big shoulders but still hosts the Cubbies, along with the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox. Lake Michigan borders it. A bevy of top notch colleges are found in and around it, among those Loyola University.
Kyle Thomas
It’s a Jesuit school offering a solid education and surprisingly also possesses something most schools don’'t -- that being an NCAA college basketball championship won back in 1963. So collectively, it’s easy to see the various attractions that drew Kyle Thomas to become a Loyola Rambler after finishing at Folsom High in 2007. But now he has returned.
The 6-foot-8, 215 pound Thomas won numerous Sacramento area honors as a prep junior and senior, finishing up at 18 points and 10 rebounds per game in his final season. NorCalPreps.com (NCP) rated him as the third best 2007 high school senior, topped only by Eli Holman and Matt Simpkins.
Loyola was a persistent suitor and Thomas eventually cast his lot with the Ramblers. "I wanted a good education, felt it would be good to be some distance away from home and thought Loyola would be the best fit for me," Thomas said.
But things changed.
Brought in as more of a wing, Thomas was soon asked to move to and learn the center position. "[The coaching staff] wanted me to strictly be a post player," he said. He did as asked but never reached a level of comfort with his new positional assignment. When the 2007-2008 season concluded, he met with Coach Jim Whitesell and an agreement was reached that Thomas would transfer.
He had offers from some non-California schools but decided the school and basketball program that was best for him was San Jose State University. According to Thomas, "I was looking around but wanted to be back somewhere in California. I liked Coach [George] Nessman and the direction the men’s basketball program was headed, my major is business and San Jose State has a good School of Business, so all that convinced me."
Asked to describe himself on the court, Thomas said, "I’m a guard-forward type with good shooting range." He’s a lefty but as was noted by Bob Bramlett, his club team coach in a previous NCP article, "Kyle is a determined athlete and player...he is very unorthodox. A lefty who goes to his right very strong. He is strong with the ball and he can really shoot it."
When asked about this quote Thomas concurred, "I worked on developing going to my right because the better competition during the summer made that necessary. I didn’t need to do so in high school to score."
Thomas is acquainted with Cal’s Ryan Anderson and the two have previously worked out together. He has also gone up against a club team featuring Indiana’s Eric Gordon and Memphis State’s Derrick Rose and inflicted some of his own damage -- Anderson, Gordon and Rose look to be first-round NBA draft selections come June 26.
Quoting Bramlett again from that previous NCP article, "People do not realize how athletic Kyle is until their face is in his navel and he is above the rim."
Thomas also was one of the few non-college invitees to play in the Sacramento Professional Development League between his junior and senior seasons.
Academics are of no concern as Thomas earned a 3.5 grade point average while at Folsom. Gary Greeno, Thomas’ coach during his junior season offered this assessment, "he is very quick, very athletic, can run the floor, can shoot the three and can also post up...I think college coaches have been looking at him for two years now and they see a ton of potential."
San Jose State certainly did. As did Thomas in San Jose State.