K.J. Thomas, Randall basketball, junior
On the court: The big question after Randall and Thomas rolled over Perryton and Borger in lopsided District 4-4A victories last week was if any other boys performer in Texas Panhandle history ever had the kind of offensive week Thomas enjoyed in two home games. Thomas started the week impressively enough in an 85-51 win over Borger, scoring a game-high 35 points. However, that performance paled next to what Thomas did three nights later against Borger. Thomas had a game for the ages, going off early with 35 points in the first half. He finished the game by outscoring Randall’s opponent by himself, as he hung up a school record 50 points in a 101-45 victory. Thomas, who shattered Ridrell Holman’s previous Randall single-game record of 42 points, hit six 3-pointers in the win despite playing only 21 minutes. He’s averaging 22.8 points a game and 25.5 in district play, as he’s led the Raiders to a 23-9 record and the No. 2 playoff seed in the district.
Coach Leslie Broadhurst: “I was telling somebody that’s the most points any guy’s scored in any game I’ve been associated with in 41 years of coaching. I’ve just never seen that and he got it in 21 minutes and that’s what makes it more amazing. It was a heck of a week. He’s a guy that you give freedom to create some of his own shots because he’s so good at doing that. He reads the defense really well and kind of takes what they give him. He’s a passer too so he’s not just a total ball hog type guy, but if you give him a spot to shoot it, he’s going to shoot it. He’s proved that he can make those and once he hits the volleyball line, to me if he’s open he has a good chance to make that shot. He’s definitely got a green light.”
Thomas: “I felt like I was just rolling. My teammates found me and got me open shots. It was a good week. We’re just going with the flow of the offense I felt they just found me a lot to give me open shots. We were just going in there trying to win and 50 just happened. I got hot. I never had scored 50 so it felt really good. We came into halftime and our manager said ‘He has 35’ and all my teammates told (Broadhurst) to let me break it. It felt awesome. I feel like coach Broadhurst has trusted me since day one. He put a lot of faith in me and I put the work in. It’s just the flow of the game which tells me if I’m going to shoot it from out there if it’s the right time.”
About Thomas
Favorite band or musician: NBA Young Boy
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Ja Morant
Bet you didn’t know: Played football until his freshman year at Randall.
Parents: Kalem and Carleigh Thomas