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November 20, 2009

Former CCC, NAC star gives Cards lift

Cardinals like what they see in former CCC, NAC star

By RYAN HAYNER

DID YOU KNOW?

This week in the Press-Republican : These are photos from the Press-Republican. Each week they are moved to the monthly gallery.

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PLATTSBURGH — Kevin Daugherty was in attendance Sunday to watch the Plattsburgh State men's basketball season-opener against Lyndon State.

From the bleachers, the Clinton Community College men's basketball coach watched Steve Thomas lead the Cardinals to a 103-81 victory. The junior scored a game-high 24 points while showing off his athleticism, polished offensive game and a slew of intangibles.

It didn't surprise Daugherty.

"He played the same way he played for us for two years," Daugherty said. "He didn't miss a beat."

Coming off a dismal 2008-09 campaign that saw them finish with a losing record for the first time since 2002-03, the Cardinals retooled with more athleticism and speed after losing height.

Plattsburgh State coach Tom Curle called Thomas a scholarship-caliber player. Curle scouted Thomas at a game last year and was impressed not only by Thomas' noticeable skills, but also his leadership and composure. Curle said Thomas calmed down a frustrated teammate at the foul line during the game he attended.

"I really saw things in him that said that he's a winner," Curle said. "Obviously, we're very glad he's here."

Plattsburgh State fans can become more familiar with Thomas when the team hosts the Cardinal Classic this weekend. The Cardinals (1-1) will play the second game of the first round at 8 p.m. tonight against Norwich (1-0).

The journey that ultimately led Thomas to the Cardinals took a few years, but started not far from the Plattsburgh State campus. A former Northern Adirondack standout, Thomas took a few years off after high school — traveling, he says — before returning to the area.

Daugherty was ecstatic when he heard Thomas was considering Clinton. Thomas helped the Cougars fill the void left by All-American Philip Barnes.

He was better than Daugherty remembered from the his high school days. Along with the laundry list of tools Thomas brought, Daugherty saw a lot of maturity in him.

"He was just very steady for us," he said of the guard, who will turn 25 in January. "I think that's something that comes with maturity."

Although the 2009-10 season is only two games young, Thomas has already proven to be a valuable addition to a team hungry to return Plattsburgh State to its recent glory.

Thomas leads the team in points per game (20) and rebounds (10) despite being just 6 foot 2. The athleticism certainly helps, but it's also a desire inside of him to grab those missed shots.

"You just have to want the ball," Thomas said. "You're going to get it if you want it bad enough. If I want the ball, I'm going to go get it."

Curle knew Thomas had high-level talent. Still, Thomas has surprised the Cardinals' coach on a number of things.

He's a lot tougher than Curle originally thought and he has an unusual ability to see the floor going full-speed. Curle said he expected him to rebound, but he said Thomas gets rebounds players his size don't normally get.

And then there's that spin move.

"A lot of people have a spin move, but he has a spin move to an elevation that is rare, especially at our level," Curle said. "People can't have that spin move and the elevation on that shot.

"He's quick enough to get the move off and athletic enough to shoot over bigger guys."

Thomas, who has played pickup games in the past with former Cardinal stars Anthony Williams — now an assistant coach for the team — and Travis Gorham, said his decision to go to Plattsburgh State was sort of a last-minute decision.

"I was obviously familiar with the area, so it wasn't a bad idea to stick around," he said.

Thomas said he wants to lead by example, a trait Daugherty praised, and help make his teammates around him better.

He already has a ringing endorsement from Chriz Ruiz, the Cardinals' leading scorer last year.

"He's a real big addition to the team," Ruiz said before the season began. "Real big."

E-mail Ryan Hayner at: rhayner@pressrepublican.com


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