In Jeff Thomas’ five seasons with the Georgia State Panthers he has been a part of two NCAA tournament teams, and looking to add his third to finish his collegiate career.
Now a senior guard, Thomas developed into a key component in the Panthers’ lineup. He has held a starting position in the lineup for the entirety of this season, playing key minutes and scoring crucial baskets.
Thomas surpassed 1,000 career points with his 27-point game against Texas-Arlington on Saturday. He heads into the matchup against Georgia Southern on Saturday with 1,025 career points. The senior almost broke his career high of 30 points, which he earned against Mercer on Nov. 13.
“He’s one of those guys, you’ve got to game plan for Jeff,” coach Ron Hunter said. “And if you don’t game plan for him, he will absolutely beat you up.”
Thomas watched the Panthers advance to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, but he was not one of the members on the court. He had to redshirt as a freshman because his high school credits did not transfer correctly, Thomas said. The year allowed him to figure out how he could improve his shot, his body and what he could do to make himself a better athlete.
Yet, with an extra year of preparation under him, there were still areas of collegiate basketball he needed to learn by the start of his sophomore season. Thomas said the speed needed to make decisions was an adjustment for him, as decisions are made in a split second, and the importance of a strong mental game. He worked to be calm under pressure situations, and by his junior season, he said he developed a stable mentality.
In his last season with the Panthers, Thomas continues to be a leader for the team. While Thomas sees himself as a vocal leader on the court, Hunter said he sees Thomas as both a vocal leader and one who leads by example. He watched Thomas develop his leadership abilities from the beginning by watching former players such as R.J. Hunter and Jeremy Hollowell prepare and win.
“I always picked at their brains to see how I can make them better, how they can do something better on the court,” Thomas said. “I feel like I developed leadership, a lot of people trust me and a lot of people can look up to me.”
Hunter said because of Thomas’ exposure to championship teams, he understands what it takes and works to leave the type of legacy those players left for him. He’s able to leave his mark because of his basketball IQ, which Hunter said was one of the reasons they recruited Thomas. His ability to use his mind and understand positioning and shots during a game showcased his high basketball IQ and continues to bring him success on the court.
His work ethic, demonstrated in his extra time in the gym before or after practice, or on the weekends, changed the culture that now exists around the gym, Hunter said.
“That’s what I mean by he really followed what R.J. did, and it carried over, because I see a lot of our guys doing that,” Hunter said. “I don’t have to tell them to go work out, it’s just part of the culture of our program. What Jeff has done, he helped really changed our culture.”
Hunter did not necessarily want to redshirt Thomas. With 10 games left in this regular season and looking back to Thomas’ first season on the team, he’s glad he had to.
“He came in on an NCAA tournament team, and he should leave on an NCAA tournament team,” Hunter said. “That’s what is really impressive.”
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