Thomas, Who Made Defense Her Calling Card, Set to Join Hall of Honor
11/12/2019 11:12:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Features
A defensive standout on the basketball court, All-Big Ten first teamer Stacey Thomas will be inducted into the Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor during a Friday (Nov. 15) ceremony along with Erick Anderson (football), Hal Downes (ice hockey), John Fisher (wrestling), Lara Hooiveld (women's swimming & diving), Ron Simpkins (football) and Nick Willis (men's track & field, cross country).
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Stacey Thomas wasn't afraid of a challenge, and it paid off for her once she reached the University of Michigan. Thomas never backed down when playing basketball against brother Scott, three years her elder, and his friends as well as others on the asphalt courts and in the gyms of Flint, Michigan.
It's a tough city for a middle-school girl to take on high-school boys, but "Little Thomas" stuck her nose into the action and learned how to score, rebound and play tenacious defense.
"If you can, even at a younger age, challenge yourself and play games against players who are somewhat better than you, whether it's physically or skill-wise," said Thomas, a two-time all-state selection at Flint Southwestern Academy. "That's what I did. My older brother and his friends were all athletes, and they could really run and jump. I was just this little middle-school girl who said, 'Hey, I want to be able to do the same things!' I could play just as well and just as hard and become just as talented.
"They called me 'Little Thomas' and they were in high school. I would be right there with 'em, trying to hang, and wasn't afraid. That helped me with my confidence. Playing with girls after playing with these high-school guys, I was not afraid of anyone in going up to take my shot or afraid of getting my shot blocked. All of that led to me becoming the player I was. I wasn't shy, didn't back down from the competition."
Thomas ranks fourth in career rebounds for the Wolverines with 851 and seventh in scoring with 1,556 points. The 5-foot-10 forward averaged 14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.1 assists as a senior in 1999-2000, becoming the second of only four Michigan players to be voted first team All-Big Ten. She also was a Kodak All-America honorable mention pick that season.
She hit the court running -- being selected 1997's Big Ten Freshman of the Year -- and made her biggest mark when the other team had the ball. Thomas was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and made the Women's Basketball Journal Defensive All-America team in 2000.
Thomas made 372 steals, setting a conference record that stood for nearly two decades until Northwestern's Ashley Deary broke it in 2017.
For good measure, Thomas also finished seventh in the conference with a 5-foot-11 high jump for Michigan's 1998 Big Ten outdoor track and field champions.
And so it was quite deserving when Thomas, now a college referee after winning a WNBA championship with the Detroit Shock, learned in July that she had become only the second women's basketball player selected for Michigan's Hall of Honor, joining high-scoring Diane Dietz in that elite circle. Inductions are Friday (Nov. 15).
"When I was told about it," said Thomas, 41, "it didn't quite register. I said, 'Wait a minute! Is this really happening?'"
She laughed heartily and added, "Just hearing that news, wow, what an honor. Being only the second one makes it even more prestigious. It really brought back some memories, flashbacks of my college years. It took me down memory lane. I'm pumped up about this."
"It is by God's grace that I have been victorious in life and the game of basketball!"
That steals record is what she cherished most about her Michigan career.
"I can't believe it lasted that long," said Thomas, who averaged an amazing 3.2 steals per game. "Everybody loves to score points, and you definitely need those points to win games. But I prided myself on defense because defense wins games as well. Blocking shots, making steals -- I enjoyed all of that. It was my favorite aspect of the game and something I really took pride in, worked hard at.
"I just had a knack, ever since I was younger in middle school, for anticipating where the ball would be, where the next play would occur. I also took pride in trying to shut down the dominant player on opposing teams and making it tough for them to be effective on their end."
Thomas fondly recalled coach Sue Guevara and all her teammates who took the Wolverines from obscurity to an NCAA Tournament berth. Michigan was 7-20 overall with a 1-15 Big Ten record the year before Thomas arrived but was 22-8 with a 13-3 conference mark to finish tied for second her senior season.
Those Wolverines set a single-season wins record that has since been broken. They lost an overtime game to Stanford in the NCAA tourney.
"All the hard work we put in with a tight-knit group that stayed together really all came together and paid off," said Thomas. "We realized the fruits or our labor even though we didn't advance as far as we wanted in the tournament. Our work ethic was really strong, and we were willing to go above and beyond in the gym.
"But what a blessing to uplift the program and give Michigan legendary status. It was awesome. We fought injuries and adversity and always cheered one another on. You appreciate those moments more when you have a sisterhood. Believe you me, I can pick up the phone right now, all these years later, and talk with one of the girls like it was yesterday."
Guevara, who recently retired as a coach at Central Michigan, set the tone.
"Sue was my favorite coach out of all coaches on all levels," said Thomas. "She had a special bond with her players, and anyone who played for Sue will say she was special. She was able to bring out the best in me and challenged me. I'm a competitor and she held me accountable for a lot of things, and I appreciate all that.
"We got along and had a relationship where she didn't even have to say certain things. I just knew what she expected and demanded and tried to do it. She gave me freedom, trusted me as a leader of the team to lead by example -- which I tried to do on and off the court. I knew the younger players coming in all had their eyes on me."
Thomas, who has worked high school state championship games in Michigan, is moving up the officiating ladder.
Thomas, a first-round pick by the Portland Fire, went on to play for former Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys" championship teams leader Bill Laimbeer on the Shock.
"Bill Laimbeer wasn't shy about anything," said Thomas, "and let me tell you, he was good! We'd go over film, and he'd say, 'Look, ladies, do I need to bring out some of my tape so we can watch how it's supposed to be done?'"
She chuckled again before adding, "But he was a good coach, a player's coach. He gave you that confidence and freedom to play your game and not be afraid of mistakes."
Thomas remembered that Shock championship team -- which beat the Los Angeles Sparks and superstar Lisa Leslie in the third game of a best-of-three finals series -- having the "great chemisty" and "focus" necessary to win it all.
"Ruth Riley hit some big shots for us in the championship game," said Thomas. "She couldn't miss. I'll never forget the moment we won the championship."
She retired as a player after six WNBA seasons and soon focused on officiating.
"Now I'm on the other side of things," said Thomas. "I'm blowin' the whistle, and everyone says I'm on the dark side. But, you know, I love it. I have a passion for it. I still do a little high school and did some state championship games, but I'm currently working Division II, Division III and NAIA and junior college women's college games and have done some postseason games.
"My aspiration is to get my foot in the door at D-1, and I may even consider officiating professionally in the (NBA) G League or the WNBA. I'm still striving for excellence. I'm competitive in everything and want to get on a higher platform. It's awesome. You develop so many relationships and still get to be part of the game, running up and down the court. And I love to run; my friends tease me."
She's also a member of the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Flint Afro-American (Sports) Hall of Fame.
"Little Thomas" has come far, and she maintains the drive that took her from the playgrounds of Flint to great heights in the game she loves.
