After tough earlier years, Radford’s Thomas sees reward

The beginning of his college basketball career did not go as Kenny Thomas had hoped. The second and third years were not exactly what he had envisioned either.

But Thomas' senior season at Radford University almost has made those first three years worthwhile.

Thomas is a 6-3 guard for the NCAA tournament-bound Highlanders. Tomorrow, Radford, the No. 16 seed in the South Region, plays top-seeded North Carolina in the opening round.

"They have great talent," Thomas said. "They are a joy to watch. It will be fun playing them.

"But we will not be in awe of them. I'm telling you that when we step on the court, it's business."

Thomas' business at Radford has been twofold. He wanted to do everything he could to help the Highlanders win as many games as possible. And he wanted to earn a degree.

The Highlanders (21-11) were the Big South regular-season and tournament champions this season. In May, Thomas will graduate with a degree in information systems.

"He is a wonderful young man and a joy to coach," said Radford coach Brad Greenberg. "He has been our most consistent player in terms of attitude in games and practices every day. He's a good teammate. He cares about every player on the team.

"A year ago, we lost a game to a high major school. One of our players had a disastrous game . . . . In the locker room, he was just distraught. He knew how pathetic he played. Kenny got up in front of the room and said, 'Hey, man, this is a team. We're in this together. Don't do that.'

"I was like, 'Whoa, man, that's pretty cool for a kid to be thinking that much about what that guy is going through.'"

Thomas thinks about winning quite a bit, and the Highlanders did not do a lot of that in his first three seasons.

"My freshman year, we were two games above .500," Thomas said. "The next two years, we had double-digit wins once.

"But this has been a year of redemption. I wish we could have won more, but I'm thankful for what we have."

Things have been different for several reasons. Greenberg is in his second season, and his system is more established. Thomas is in his second season as a team captain and set a positive tone for his teammates.

And Art Parakhouski, 6-11 and 260 pounds, arrived to play center. He averages 16.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. Parakhouski was the Big South player of the year.

Thomas is second on the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) and third in rebounding (4.8 per game).

Thomas is the team's best 3-point shooter among the regulars, 39 percent.

"He's a great shooter," Greenberg said.

Thomas' coach at Highland Springs High School, George Lancaster, had a prominent role in the young player's development.

"He gave me some of the key fundamentals I have now, especially shooting," Thomas said. "He showed me how to keep focused on my goals."

That was important during Thomas' first three years at Radford. At times, he wondered if going to southwest Virginia for college had been the right choice.

Then came this season.

"The mentality has been different. We're more of a team. There are friendships and brotherhood. We picked each other up when we fell. We worked hard every day, and winning is contagious."

Thomas hopes that contagion continues for several weeks. He also knows the next game could be the last of his college career.

"I've tried to take myself through the moment when it is over so it won't hurt so much," Thomas said. "I've had a wonderful last year here. It's just been awesome."

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444