6B
Thursday, February 6, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
100
KILLING TEAMS SOFTLY
Story by Bill Petulla • Photos by Tyler Wirken
illy Thomas is a shooter.
illy Thomas is a shooter. But more than a shooter, Billy Thomas is a killer. He is not the murderous type, of course. He can kill a 10-point lead in the blink of an eye. He can kill the noise, confi-
bink of an eye. He can kill the rose, confidence and hopes of sellout crowds. And he can kill the skepticism of his doubters.
the sleepiest. And he does it one way ... softly.
And he does it one way ... sorry.
There is no fist pumping, no hip gyrating and no raising the roof when it comes to Thomas. His postgame demeanor is stoic whether his shooting numbers read 1 of 10 or 10 of 10. Thomas is a shooter, and he's one of the nation's best.
and he's one of the nation's top 40 three-point shooters who have made at least 20 three-point shots.
And don't think that nobody is noticing $ \sigma $
And don't think that nobody is noticing.
"Do you know what coaches around the country
would trade for a Billy Thomas? Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun asked.
On Jan. 19, Thomas made eight points in less than two minutes against Calhoun's Huskies.
"Billy Thomas can shoot as good as anyone that I've ever been around," Kansas coach Roy Williams said.
ever been in mind, Williams has been around Michael Jorgensen, Sam Perkins and James Worthy.
Jordan, Sam Perkins and Born the son of Edie Mae Thomas, Thomas learned his highly-touched stroke on the playgrounds of Shreveport. La.
Growing up in a low-income neighborhood, Thomas wanted to escape the negativity and the gang lifestyle that encompassed him. The atmosphere in Thomas' precinct was so dicey that it was often best to stay indoors come nightfall.
often best to stay safe in your neighborhood," Thomas said. "If but you in my neighborhood got into a fight, you might have a drive-by (shooting). You had to
Guard Billy Thomas defends against Connecticut's Richard Hamilton. Thomas scored eight points in less than two minutes against the Huskies on Jan. 19, which helped Kansas to a 73-65 victory.
watch out for those types of things, and you probably wouldn't want to be out after a certain hour."
But it was on the basketball courts a
Loyola Prep High School in Shreveport
where Thomas became the legendary
shooter.
As a senior, Thomas averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds a game.
Thomas chose Kansas from schools such as nearby Louisiana State because he said he wanted to live in a different environment.
"I had been there (Louisiana) all of my life," Thomas said. "I was ready to experience something new. I didn't know how far away it was. I just knew it was away and that was good enough for me."
In his freshman campaign at Kansas, Thomas played in all of the Jayhawks' 31 games, starting in two. He was named to the Big Eight Conference All-Freshman team. CBS selected Thomas as its player of the game for his 19-point performance in a first-round NCAA tournament win against Colgate.
was not nearly as displeased. Hindered by nagging injuries and illnesses, ranging from back spasms to mononucleosis, Thomas slumped to 34 percent shooting from beyond the three-
Thomas's sophomore season, however, was not nearly as auspicious.
point arch. Despite his freshman year, when Thomas was second on the team in scoring in the NCAA tournament, he only netted eight points in four games, shooting a dismal 3 of 15 from the three-point line.
Hurt, frustrated and disappointed, Thomas said he considered leaving Kansas.
"I was so frustrated and so mentally broke down that thoughts of transferring crossed my mind," Thomas said. "Straight out of frustration, I was thinking of transferring, I didn't care where it was."
Iud I dunnt to him. Instead of turning to his family or roommate Raef LaFrentz for advice, Thomas said he dealt with his turmoil in solitude.
"It was just something that I had to go through myself," Thomas said. "After a bad night, I just wished I could get back to the gym and just start shooting, shooting, shooting."
In the end, Thomas said he re-evaluated his attitude and effort and felt he could give more to the team. Thomas also said the rumors that he was considering a transfer to Arkansas held no truth.
"I don't know how that got started because I never told anyone that," Thomas said. "Never was there a place that I wanted to transfer."
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said Billy Thomas was a valuable asset that many coaches around the country would like to have on their teams.
Away from the court, Thomas said he liked to unwind and go to sleep to the soothing sounds of Tony Braxton. He rarely misses SportsCenter, even when he's busy.
"When I'm talking on the telephone and I get quid, they'll say 'What are you doing, watching SportsCenter?' " Thomas said.
A crime and delinquency studies major, Thomas plans to work with children after graduation.
But it's a shooting a basketball from beyond the three-point arch that gives Billy Thomas the most pleasure.
"I definitely feel that I was blessed," Thomas said. "There's always been something about shooting the ball from far out. Even in elementary school, there wasn't a three-point line, but I would shoot the ball from out there."
On target, off target. Hurt, healthy. Frustrated, content. Thomas has been there before. But Billy Thomas will bounce back. Quietly shooting thorns into an opponent's side.
Because Billy Thomas is a shooter.
Say"I Love You" 13,500 times.
That should about fill your quota for the year.
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David S. Broder
national political columnist and author will receive the
William Allen White Foundation's 1997 National Citation for Distinguished Service
at 1:30 p.m. Friday, February 7 in Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
David S. Broder writes a twice-weekly column on American political life. The column, syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group, is carried by more than 300 newspapers across the globe. He has covered every national campaign and convention since 1960, traveling up to 100,000 miles a year to interview voters and report on the candidates. He is a regular commentator on CNN's "Inside Politics," and makes regular appearances on NBC's "Meet the Press" and "Washington Week in Review."
Broder received the Pulitzer Prize in May 1973 for distinguished commentary. He has been named "Best Newpaper Political Reporter" by Washington Journalism Review. A survey for Washingtonian magazine found that Broder was rated "Washington's most highly regarded columnist" by both editorial-page editors and members of Congress, leading 16 others in ratings for "overall integrity, factual accuracy and insight."
The public is invited
He is author or co-author of six books: "The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Fold" with Washington Post alumnus Haynes Johnson (1996); "The Man Who Would be President; Dan Quaye" with Bob Woodward (1992); "Behind the Front Page: A Candid Look at How the News Is Made" (1987); "Changing of the Guard: Power and Leadership in America" (1980); "The Party's Over: The Failure of Politics in America" (1972); and "The Republican Establishment: The Present and Future of the G.O.P." with Stephen Hess (1967).
The national citation has been awarded since 1950 to journalists who exemplify the ideals of William Allen White, who was a nationally influential Kansas editor and publisher until his death in 1944.