A name not synonymous with basketball became a deciding factor in one of the most historic games! 244 points, 226 minutes, 209 total shots, 125 rebounds, 43 turnovers, 93 free throw attempts and 8 guy's fouling out. As a coach the numbers don't lie. As a coach I could never imagine a 6 overtime game. As a coach I bet the play book ran a little short. BUT. As a fan I became apart of history. As a fan a battle royal took place. As a fan I realized why I cheer when my team takes the floor.
Justin Thomas registered a total of 7 minutes of play and more importantly his first rebound for the season, on Thursday March 12, around 1am. As Thomas first entered the game his fellow teammates were standing straight up, hands on the hips, gasping for an ounce of energy as night turned into morning. Thomas entry to the game could be characterized as "Jumping Jacks". Standing atop of the famous 2-3 Zone, Thomas did "jumping jacks" in an attempt to "warm up", after what would be sitting for well over 2 hours. The only guy on the floor with energy to spare I could only hope that his thoughts turned to the title "walk on." A guy who has played a total of 21 minutes over the season, most being junk minutes, entered the game with just over a minute left in the 5th overtime. As the 5th turned into the 6th, most of his seven minutes Thomas stood in the corner on offense not doing too much; crashing the boards and hustling back on defense. Defensively he did everything right; signaling a traveling call the refs missed, playing straight up on D and boxing out on every shot. As the Cuse held a three point lead, I could only hope that the title "walk on" was sitting in the back of his mind. "walk on" is not normally used in conference play referring to a player on the court; the title "walk on" is normally referred to those who are good enough to make the team but not good enough to play in the game. A title which was given to Justin Thomas at onset of the season.
I don't know what all is involved in becoming a "walk on" but I do know what is involved in being a "walk on. " I imagine that Thomas understands what being a "walk on" truly requires; every day you practice harder than the rest of your team because what you lack in talent they lack in hard work; every day you study longer than the rest of your team because the term scholarship doesn't' apply to you; every day you arrive early to practice and stay late in hopes of gaining an edge on the guy who occupies the 11th seat on the bench; but most importantly, every day, you fully realize that your dreams become reality not through talent, scholarships or a seat on the bench, but 28 minutes of game time, 7 of which are in one of the most historic games ever!
I applaud all the guys' who played an insane amount of minutes in the sextuple overtime game.
I stand and applaud Justin Thomas for all the insane amount of minutes he has dedicated to being a "walk on".
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