FINAL FOUR : Thomas gives LSU edge on the inside
Posted on Thursday, March 30, 2006
At The RCA Dome, Indianapolis NATIONAL SEMIFINALS Saturday (Times Central ) George Mason (27-7 ) vs. Florida (31-6 ), 5: 07 p.m. LSU (27-8 ) vs. UCLA (31-6 ), 7: 47 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP Monday Semifinal winners If 310-pound Glen “Big Baby” Davis is the smiling face of LSU basketball, Tyrus Thomas is the scowl.
Davis often waggles his tongue and sometimes looks up and speaks to the heavens during the action. Thomas swats a shot, then snarls and barks at his opponent. After dominating Duke and Josh McRoberts, Thomas spoke of not just outplaying his man but “taking an opponent’s soul.” Proving is a big thing with Thomas, who bristled when he was asked during the regional about his unheralded start to the season.
“You said I was on nobody’s radar,” said Thomas, a freshman forward. “That’s other people’s fault. I knew what I could do. Coaches knew what I could do.” Now we all know what he can do. Thomas, the Atlanta Regional’s most outstanding player, is headed for the Final Four.
From under the radar to off the charts, Thomas has come that far so soon, all the way to a meeting with UCLA on Saturday in Indianapolis.
It’s not the 12. 6 points or the 61-percent shooting grabbing attention as much as the 9. 3 rebounds and 3. 1 blocked shots. Those numbers are a true measure of Thomas’ menacing presence around the basket.
Thomas blocked five shots and changed the path of several others in the Tigers’ Sweet 16 victory over top-ranked Duke. Two days later against Texas, Thomas swatted away three more shots to complement his 21 points and 13 rebounds.
His impact went beyond numbers. The Longhorns raced to a 9-2 lead when Thomas started his high-flying act. Over the next few minutes, he worked behind Texas’ zone to slam home lob passes and converted an impossible stick-back slam while surrounded by Texas jerseys.
In a later sequence, Thomas scored on a layup, then hustled down court to block a shot by P. J. Tucker and control the rebound.
As if to prove he is not solely a wonder around the basket, Thomas buried shots 15 feet away along the baseline against the Longhorns.
His Darth Vader approach is years in the making. He wasn’t a standout in summer basketball. Thomas, who grew up five minutes from LSU in Baton Rouge, played on AAU teams with future teammates Davis, Garrett Temple and Tasmin Mitchell.
Thomas wasn’t tall enough to play in the frontcourt then. But by his senior season at McKinley High, he had grown to 6-7 and was coming into his own.
Still, “I wasn’t a guy who got caught up in being nationally ranked,” Thomas said.
Recruiters started showing some interest, but LSU wasn’t one of them. Coach John Brady extended an invitation to join the team as a walk-on, but Thomas was prepared to accept an offer from Miami.
Then a scholarship became available when a recruit didn’t qualify academically, and Thomas became a Tigers player.
Brady and Thomas talked about redshirting, a decision that was sealed when Thomas injured his neck in a preseason practice. Thomas then hit the weight room and added muscle to a frame that grew 2 inches before he reported for this season.
Thomas came to LSU at 6-7, 185 pounds. He started this season at his current size of 6-9, 215.
He wasn’t exactly an afterthought when players assembled for preseason workouts. But to have suggested then that he would be considered a future NBA lottery pick — well, let’s refer to his profile in LSU’s media guide “Granted medical redshirt for neck injury... Averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds in high school.... Favorite foods are fried fish and potato salad.... Tremendous athletic ability.” Thomas didn’t open the season as a starter, but there was no keeping him off the floor. In a one-point loss at Connecticut, he had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks and left Huskies Coach Jim Calhoun stunned. “He’s a scary, freaky athlete,” said Calhoun, who compared Thomas ’ shot-blocking ability to his own former Player of the Year, Emeka Okafor.
A year ago, Brady wasn’t sure Thomas would even play this year. He didn’t know much about Thomas. They rarely communicated.
“It was just my nature,” Thomas said. “I never cling to people at first.” Brady recalled those cool moments.
“He doesn’t just walk up to you and embrace you,” Brady said. “When he got around on a daily basis and found out we really cared about his development, he just blossomed. You’ve got to prove to Tyrus a little bit that you’re for real.” Precisely what Thomas has been doing all season.
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