It's been a four-year struggle for recognition of unfulfilled potential and glimpses of stardom for AU forward Jason Thomas. But his 23-point, 11-rebound performance on Saturday as AU knocked off national power Vermont may be the late turning point in his career.
Say what you will about honorable mention All-American Taylor Coppenrath's 22 points and 15 rebounds, or point guard T.J. Sorrentine's 27 points, or AU sophomore Andre Ingram's 19 points on four back-breaking three-pointers. But Jason Thomas was clearly the best player on the court Saturday.
With no inside game after Patrick Okpwae's early flurry, Thomas provided all the down-low offense and rebounding for the Eagles in the second half, several times out-jumping Coppenrath for the big board. On the perimeter, he was 3 of 7 from three-point range in his second straight solid game from beyond the arc.
And on defense, he often doubled Coppenrath, or helped on the weak side to prevent the Catamount supporting cast from scoring.
Saturday belonged to Thomas. And it may have been the steppingstone he needed to lead the Eagles to the NCAA tournament.
Sure, Andre Ingram is the leading scorer on this team, but he's only a sophomore. So is point guard Linas Lekavicius. In close Patriot League games, head coach Jeff Jones is going to need a guy who can come through in the clutch, handle the ball against the best defenders and knock down a shot from anywhere on the floor.
Thomas is one of the few who remembers the pain of losing to Holy Cross at Bender Arena three years ago, and then coming so close to returning the favor a year later. The other stars of those teams have moved on.
Aside from his scoring, the most impressive stat from Thomas' day was that he led the Eagles in assists and steals. With the revolving door at point guard between Lekavicius and junior Ryan Graham, Thomas has stepped up as a point forward - running the offense, finding the open man and finally giving fans a glimpse of Lekavicius' shooting touch, which he was able to display as he played off the ball.
Thomas' success was ironic, in a way. The UVM game was the biggest on Stafford H. "Pop" Cassell's court since last year's debacle against Lafayette, in which AU lost solely because Thomas failed to dunk the ball on a breakaway with a two-point lead that the Eagles would later blow.
This time, though, as the Eagles held a slim lead in the final minutes and Thomas made a half-court steal, he saw nothing but space in front of him. Instead of trying to dunk the ball, he took three dribbles, a jump step and laid the ball right in the basket, showing the maturity he gained in one short year.
And this year is a huge one for the Eagles. With no clear favorite in the PL, AU has just as good a chance as anyone to run the table and move on to the NCAA tournament. Playing in front of 1,500 amped fans last Saturday was the start of a charge that will last as long as this team wants it to.
The Eagles have a chance to prove their legitimacy this Saturday, when Ohio University comes to town, off a 90-55 blowout of PL foe Navy. Another victory would be another big step in the direction of league success for the Eagles.
And it likely depends on how well Thomas plays. For two years, AU has waited for him to step up from a six- to eight-point scorer to a 15- to 17-point, 8-rebound monster. He is the only Eagle with the combination of a dangerous outside shooting touch, a slashing quickness to the basket and a modest low-post game. Clearly the best athlete on the Eagles, Thomas must become their go-to guy down the stretch.
J.T. could be the leader of the pack on a team that desperately needs one. While the team has six seniors, it has none that have been a more integral part of the team for four years than Thomas, and Jones needs someone to step up. The second coming of A.I. may be a year away from total domination, but this year is about J.T. And if J.T. brings his A game, there may be some more initials in the Eagles' future: NCAA!
