Portland State forward Julius Thomas is fun to be around, says Tyler Geving, the man who Thomas says is responsible for him being at PSU.
An “early signer” when he committed to PSU after his junior year in high school, Geving describes Thomas as “very charismatic. He can be intense on the court and relaxed off it. But, he's always got a smile, never seems down. If you need a person to cheer you up, he's it. He has a good attitude and he's fun to be around.”
Thomas, however, doesn't put a smile on opponents' faces on the basketball floor, which was what caught Geving's eye when he saw him play at Tokay High School in Stockton, CA.
“When we recruited him, we were impressed with how hard he played. He didn't back down from anyone and he worked hard,” says Geving, the Vikings Associate Head Coach. The PSU coaching staff saw Thomas as a defensive specialist who would “give us a big presence inside and, since he also can run, could help us in our transition game.”
Although Thomas is leading the team in field goal percentage for the third year in a row, defense is still what draws him to the game.
“My favorite part is defense. I like being able to stop someone,” says Thomas, who is carrying a 3.1 gpa in business and hasn't decided between finance and management.
Asked what he likes most generally about basketball, he says it's the overall competition. “Competing tests who you are. It tests who you are internally. Every day you work hard and if you work hard in preparation, it shows at game time.”
Stopping someone on defense is the ultimate competition for Thomas, and Geving gives him high marks. “Julius takes our most difficult defensive assignment. He can guard anyone. He can take one through five and shut that player down,” he says.
On offense, Thomas is shooting .670 from the field this year ? a school record pace. The current recorder is the same 6-5 Viking forward, who shot .639 as a freshman two years ago. It should then come as no surprise then, that Thomas also maintains the school-record for career field goal percentage at Portland State (.669).
Thomas says his team-leading field goal average is a matter of shot selection.
“I've always been very selective with my shots. I've never wanted to shoot 10-15 times a game. I try not to force shots and be patient, waiting for the shot to open up,” he says. Thomas also likes Head Coach Ken Bone's wide open offense “because there's a lot of freedom. You can make your own decisions out there.”
And Geving says that it is Thomas' offense that has improved the most at PSU.
“His offensive skills have gotten better. His footwork is better and he's passing better. He doesn't turn the ball over as much,” Geving says.
Thomas' offensive skills development has led to more playing time this year, too, Geving says. He started the season as backup to forward Jamie Jones (6'7” junior transfer from the University of Portland). As the season has progressed “we're playing them more together. Julius is our energy guy.”
From Thomas' perspective, he's worked hard at being consistent.
“I want the other players and coaches to know that I can be consistent. I want them to know that I can be a good support for the team. When I have the ball, I want to make sure it goes the right person,” he says.
At PSU, he says he's matured off the court, as well as on. “I'm just a couple months shy of my 21st birthday and I've seen myself become a man on and off the court. Off the court, I've learned to budget my time. A day goes by and you look back and think: ?I accomplished what I was supposed to'. That's very satisfying.”
Thomas' basketball career began as a freshman in high school. From an athletic family (father Greg Thomas played football at the University of Pacific and mother Toria ran track), Thomas was about six feet tall and divided his time between basketball and football then. But, a rapid growth spurt his sophomore year caused him back pains and he says his back couldn't take the pounding of football.
By the time he was a junior, he was mainly playing basketball. That was when he came to the attention of Geving.
“He recruited me and I felt this was the best place for me. I really like Portland. I've always wanted to live in a nice metro area and when I met the players here, I felt we could be friends on and off the court. I knew I didn't want to live in a small town (having grown up in medium-sized Stockton),” Thomas says.
He also cited PSU's business program.
The biggest change from his first season is that “each year, we've gotten a little better. We're better at each position. We have more talent and we have a better grasp of what the coaches want.” He believes that makes the experienced players a resource for newcomers, so they don't need as much time from the coaching staff, thus shortening the time it takes to get up to speed on what the coaches want.
Highlight of his PSU experience so far has been last year's trip to the NCAA national tournament, of course. Biggest disappointment is “when you don't take advantage of opportunities. Like any athlete, I'd guess, it's disappointing when you let things happen you know you could have prevented.”
This year and next, PSU could make two more runs at getting back the NCAA “big dance”. And, if that happens, it will be in no small part due to the development of Thomas, who has yet to decide what happens after college.
But, it's pretty obvious that he'd like the opportunity to continue with basketball for awhile. You get the impression from the big smile that lights up his face when the subject comes up.
