Happy New Year As Two Local Stars Make their Season Debuts

Two Local Players Make Season Debuts I have grouped these two events together for editorial purposes but specifically one (former Hayes standout Angel Nunez) made his season debut  while the other (Kansas State guard Jevon Thomas) made his collegiate debut. Nunez, who also prepped at Winchedon  (MA) Academy and began his career at Louisville played for his new team, Gonzaga, in their West Coast Conference season opening win against Santa Clara. He had 4 points and 3 boards in 13 minutes of action. Though his time on the court was brief and marked by tentativeness, playing him at power forward gives coach Mark Few a different kind of player at that spot than he's had in the past. It remains to be seen whether Nunez will be able to stretch the floor with his shooting but he will almost certainly be able to drive the ball against power players who have to guard him on the perimeter. On defense he gives the Zags a  potentially terrific option against teams that play "4 out 1 in" offense. Injuries and depth in front of him kept him mostly off the floor in his two years at Louisville but once he gets acquainted with how to compete at the college level he will be a key player for them as the season enters its home stretch in February and March.

As for Jevon Thomas I could not help but smile a little at the irony of him playing his first college game in Brooklyn, for Kansas State which blew out Tulane in game two of the Brooklyn Winter Hoops festival at Barclay's Center. Anyone who has read my writing at other now defunct sites or talked to me at games knows that Jevon's ability to pressure the ball and his pass first approach to the game have made him a favorite of mine. What's ironic about him playing in Brooklyn is that the route he took to college can be described gently as circuitous. It included stops in Queens (Bayside High) Long Island (OSNA) North Carolina (Quality Education) and finally Delafield Wisconsin (St. John's Prep). It also included verbal commitments to St. John's and Dayton before he sat out spring semester last year and fall semester this year at KSU.     Thomas' story could have easily had the typically sad ending that you hear all too often these days when a kid gets pulled in several different directions and loses focus.   But the minute he stepped on the court for the Wildcats, a  subway ride away from his Queens home, it became a story of perseverance and staying the course. In his 19 minutes on the court he scored just two points but gave KSU fans a glimpse of how he can help them with 4 assists and 3 steals in those minutes. The consummate point guard will likely need some time for the game to slow down for him but once it does look out. He will be very good.    That said he's already accomplished something special getting to Manhattan... Kansas that is.  Congratulations and good luck Jevon.