Former Huntsville star brings spark to women's basketball
11/20/2010 2:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
An unfortunate turn of events can sometimes wind up turning out for the better.
Such is the case for former Huntsville High School girls basketball standout Jaleesa Thomas who has returned to Huntsville and now plays for Sam Houston State.
Before playing a single minute for Blinn, Thomas was dealt a major blow, suffering a torn ACL in her knee which caused her to miss much of her freshman season.
Even after coming back in the second half of the year, Thomas admitted, it wasn't quite the same.
"It was pretty rough at first" Thomas recalled. "The biggest problem I had was that I didn't have a lot of confidence in it."
The more Thomas played, the more she was able to get back to playing like her old sef and in her two-year stint with the Bucs, she averaged 11.1 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 boards.
"Playing at Blinn really showed me a lot," Thomas said. "It was totally different than in high school. I think it allowed me to mature on and off the court."
Following her sophomore seson, Thomas was looking for another school. Luckily for her a familiar place was in need of a talented guard.
"Coming out of high school, we suggested that she go to junior college because that would be a good route for her," Sam Houston head coach Brenda Nichols said. "Last summer, we asked her if she would like to play for us.
"During her short time here, her attitude has been awesome. She is always smiling. She comes off the bench and gives us a lot of energy. She is exactly what we needed and we love to have her."
Already Thomas is making an impact on the Bearkats. In her second game of the season, the junior played 33 minutes, scoring 13 points, sinking 5-of-12 shots with three treys in a 69-60 loss to Ole Miss at Oxford, Miss. Thomas was credited with seven assists in the Bearkats' victory over Centenary Wednesday.
For the season, she is averaging 9.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
"At first, I was nervouse," Thomas said. "But now, I like the fact that I am playing like I am capable of. I'm helping the team and the team is helping me."
The next action for the Sam Houston State Bearkat women's basketball team will be Wednesday Nov. 23 when the Kats play host to North Texas in a 6:30 p.m. game at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Women's basketball tickets are on sale online now at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston Athletic Ticket Office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is 936 294-1729.
