Braves' senior guard led team to championship

~ Drew Thomas is the Southeast Missourian boys basketball player of the year.

As Drew Thomas practiced for the state basketball tournament, he thought a lot about how he struggled to score in his team's only two regular-season losses.

They were to Memphis (Tenn.) Central and Sikeston. The senior guard averaged 9.5 points per game -- 15 points below his season average -- in those two games.

"The games I don't score in the 20s or [near], we lost," Thomas said during a practice in March before his team left for Columbia to play in the state final four. "So after that Sikeston game, I took it on to myself that I have to score. ... If you watch me play, I'll talk to myself a lot because I am getting onto myself -- 'Why didn't I make this? Why didn't I make that layup?' -- because I know I'm a big offensive threat for my team."

Thomas is this year's Southeast Missourian boys basketball player of the year.

Drew Thomas, Scott County CentralFirst teamYear: SeniorSeason stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 65% FGBest game this season: Both games at state. I put the ball in the hole wellPlans for next year: I plan to go to a two-year college and to play basketballBest player you faced: Sikeston's Mike PorterFavorite sports movie: Coach CarterLocal coach, besides your own, you'd like to play for: Sikeston's Gregg Holifield because he seems like a cool personI wish I could ...: Make money and live happySomething most people don't know about you: I'm funnyTeam you enjoy playing the most: Sikeston because it's what the fans wantBiggest comedian on your team: MeWorst part about playing basketball: There is not one to meIf you could re-play any game this year, which one would it be and what would you do differently: Sikeston, and shoot the ball betterNickname: Drewski. My home girl Pat gave it to meCelebrity you'd bring to prom: My mom

He led the Braves to their first Class 1 state championship since 1993. He had a terrific final four, exploding for 31 points in the semifinal against Glasgow and 29 in the 98-63 championship-game victory over Newtown-Harris. The senior guard averaged 25.9 points per game and led the Braves to a 29-2 record.

He plans to sign to play basketball at Mineral Area College in Park Hills. The signing will take place Monday at Scott County Central High School.

Thomas, who scored 803 points this year, also averaged 5.2 rebounds per game and had 92 assists through district play.

This year's Scott County starting lineup had three Division I caliber recruits -- Thomas, junior Bobby Hatchett and sophomore Otto Porter. Still, Thomas at times stuck out among all the talented players with strong scoring in some of the biggest games that Scott County played.

Advance's David VanGennip, whose team lost both contests it played against Thomas and Scott County this season, said Thomas was the Braves' best player.

"He can do it all -- shoot, dribble to the hole, get a lot of rebounds," VanGennip said. "He brings a lot of energy to their ball team."

Still, VanGennip said he thinks Scott County will return to the state tournament next year because of Porter and Hatchett, who he called the best local point guard.

"He worked real hard and put in a lot of work over the summer," Hatchett said about Thomas. "He stayed and shot. He went to a lot of camps to work on his game."

Thomas showed he is a talented scorer while leading the Braves to their first Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament title since 1990. He was the leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 30.5 points in the four games, including netting 33 points in the championship against Notre Dame.

The 122 points he scored in the four games was 46 points more than the tournament's second-leading scorer, Notre Dame's Austin Greer, who had 76.

"I wanted it bad," Thomas said about the Christmas tournament. "If I want something bad, I'm going to work my tail off to get it."

Thomas continued his strong scoring pace in the playoffs. He posted 32 points in a sectional victory over St. Elizabeth and 23 points in a quarterfinal win over Eminence.

Thomas said he felt relaxed when playing with his teammates in the final four.

"When I stepped out onto the court, I wanted to hit every shot," he said. "I knew some college coaches was going to be there, but I just wanted to go out there and play my game and win me a state championship."

Thomas said wanting to win a state championship was constantly on his mind this year. But he started thinking about earning one long before that.

"The first time I knew my dad got a state championship, I knew I wanted one," Thomas said. "I wanted more than one, but I'm fortunate to get one. It's better than nothing."

Thomas said playing against Sikeston at a sold out Show Me Center was his second-best memory behind winning a state title.

"I wanted to play against them for a long time," he said. "And for us to get a chance to play them, I think it was an honor. Unfortunately, we lost and I had a bad game, but at least we played. Me and [Sikeston[']s] Mike Porter talk about it all the time. He got in my head a lot, but he knows deep down inside we should've won."

Thomas said he visited Southeast Missouri State about two weeks ago, but the Redhawks did not offer him a scholarship. He said he took part in scrimmaging and drills at Southeast.

He also looked at Three Rivers, Meramec and State Fair Community College.

He still thinks he is a Division I caliber basketball player. He plans to use his two years at junior college to improve his game to be recruited by a Division I school.

"I think it's best for me to go to junior college," Thomas said. "It ain't that I'm not ready. I just feel like I need to improve a lot. When I went to SEMO, I thought I played right with those guys. I think I was the only high school player there. Coach [Dickey] Nutt, we talked a lot. He wanted a lot of juco players coming in. I was the only high school player there, so I thought I played right with those guys. But there's still a couple things that I want to work on, so I think I should go juco."

Thomas, who will study business in college, said he selected Mineral Area over the others because of its fast-paced offense.

"They play more of my game -- the run-and-go game," Thomas said. "I just thought I'd be a perfect fit for them."

Thomas said his ball handling is one area that he's looking to improve.

"It's been kind of weird with that," Thomas said. "I mean from my freshman year until now, I've been switched in so many positions. My freshman year I was a power forward. Sophomore year I was a wingman. Junior year I was a wingman and now I'm a guard. That's hard. People really don't look at that, but that really is hard to just be a forward all your life and just come out there and you've got to handle the ball."