Talented Thomas could be key to Lancers' success
I have been waiting awhile to write this column, but I can't wait any longer.
I feel that senior forward Jesse Thomas is the key to how well the Brookfield Central girls basketball team does this year.
The 6-foot-1 Thomas isn't just a tall basketball player. She is ripped, and probably as talented an athlete as you will find in the Greater Metro Conference. She can rebound, she can play defense, she has the 3-point range of a shooting guard and she can pass like a point guard.
Now there is no doubt that 5-10 senior point guard Erin Lueder is the straw that stirs the drink for Central. Lueder is one of the most unselfish "star players" I have ever had the chance to watch. But if the Lady Lancers are to win the conference for the third straight season and get back to the state tournament, they need Thomas to become Lueder's right-hand man on a consistent basis.
One of the things that made graduate Joanna Bielefeld, two-time GMC Player of the Year, so effective was having someone as talented as Lueder on hand. If teams wanted to shut down Bielefeld, they had to deal with Lueder.
"Like being her wingman," Thomas said, when asked about the situation.
As deep as the Lady Lancers are - and they are deeper this season - there is not another player with Thomas' natural ability.
It's all about confidence
But the reason for my column has nothing to do with Thomas' skills on the court. It has to do with her confidence.
Thomas admitted in an interview that if her first shot is blocked or she air-balls a 3-pointer, she has a tendency to have a drop in confidence at times.
"I have a little trouble with my confidence," Thomas said. "Mr. (coach Dan) Wandrey tells me all the time, 'You are good Jesse. Shoot the ball, dribble the ball. You're good.'
"But now, going into my senior year, I'm trying to play with more confidence. It's always been hard for me. I think I'm getting a little better at it."
Wandrey, among others, has said Thomas is "too nice" - which is a good thing off the court, but not necessarily on it.
"But I'm working on being tough on the court," Thomas said. "When I was a freshman, I hated contact. Now that I'm working out, I can draw contact easier. It's better for me to play with contact."
When Thomas has that confidence, she is an amazing player to watch. Once last season she got the ball on the wing, made a great move to the basket and scored, leaving one of the best big players in the league in her dust.
I watched, thinking, 'Where did that come from?' The fact was she just did it, she didn't think about it. It was a natural move.
Ready for the future
Watching her stand at the top of the key and pass the ball inside to Valerie Rose Agnello, Maggie Mattiacci or Katie Sandstrom for an easy layup or seeing her set up at the top of the key and drain a 3-pointer is something special.
I asked her if she wanted the ball with the game on the line in the final seconds and her answer didn't surprise me.
"Sure, I would feel very confident if I had the ball," she said. "But I would feel confident if anyone on our team had the ball. But I would feel confident. If I didn't, I shouldn't be out there."
That is good to hear, Jesse, because now is the time for you to take your game to another level.
Tom "Sky" Skibosh can be reached at (262) 446-6620. Read Sky's blog at BrookfieldNOW.com.
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