Rams' Thomas traded scoring role for leadership position
Tyrone Thomas had visions of
joining a long list of prolific scor
ers at Winston-Salem State when
he came aboard the Rams pro
gram last season.
Thomas, a Baltimore, Md.
native, signed with Sam Hanger,
the Rams' former coach, just
before the start of the 1997-98
season. He inherited the shooting
guard slot after he arrived on the
scene and figured to be in that
*" slot until he used up his two sea
? * *
sons of eligiblity.
But all of that changed quick
ly when Hanger was replaced by
Ricl^ Duckett as the Rams' coach
last summer.
Without a true point guard,
Duckett turned to Thomas, a
crafty veteran, to steady an other
wise inexperienced backcourt.
Thomas hasn't disappointed.
But then, neither has Duckett
either.
They have clicked throughout
the season. After a fifth-place fin
jsh in .the division last season, the
Rams promptly marched to the
top of the division before, losing
out for the divisional crown when
they lost to North Carolina Cen
tral in the conference finale.
' Like his teammates, Thomas
had some reservations about his
- new coach when the change was
announced. However, he and the
rest of his teammates have made
the most of their change of venue.
Thomas
They operated on 'blind' faith
, and it has paid off.
"I really didn't know much
about him then," Thomas said of
his opinion of Duckett from the
outset. "But he told me what he
wanted to do here and what it was
going to take to do it."
There were the normal adjust
ments that had to be made by
Thomas and the holdovers from
last season's Rams team, which
posted a 15-15 regular season
record.
The first was getting acquaint
ed with a tough pre-season work
out program. The next was learn
ing the tough defensive schemes
that Duckett requires his team to
master. But the most difficult: for
Thomas has been getting used to
running the Rams' offense. Dur
ing his two year career at Dunbar
Junior College in Baltimore,
Thomas played the role of desig
nated shooter. Getting used to
being a distributor took some
time.
"The biggest adjustment has
been getting use to his (Duckett's)
offense," Thomas said. "But I
think I have adjusted well. I'm
still learning it and trying to do
what I need to do- to help the
team."
Opponents who have faced the
Rams this season have noticed
another change in the Rams' pro
gram. The intensity level has been
high, even in defeat.
"We work hard every day,"
Thomas said. "In practice we
push each other hard because we
have to keep improving if we
want to have a good season."
That has also helped the
team's depth. That has been a
needed commodity because the
Rams play a lot of full-courThian
to-man defense.
"That's why we have to help
build the confidence in the
younger players," Thomas said.
"It's not fun sitting on the bench,
but when I got in foul trouble
somebody had to come in and get
the job done.
"That's important to the team
because we're going to need them
going down the stretch," Thomas
added. "Everyone is going to
need to produce."
The team's success has come
as a surprise to some people out
side of the program. But Thomas
said he and his teammates expect
ed it. Howeve.', they still have a
lot to learn. After taking a lop
sided victory over Virginia Union,
the team suffered through some
disappointing losses.
"That's the thing we've been
trying to tell the young players,"
Thomas said. "We slipped a little
after we beat Virginia Union.
When you're playing college ball
you can't afford to slip any. You
have to play hard every game."
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