Wednesday night, James Monroe senior Cameron Thomas stood at the foul line visibly overcome with emotion.
The initial celebration of the Mavericks Region 3 co-final victory was over, as were the team pictures.
All that remained was what Thomas and his teammates had dreamed about their entire life, cutting down the championship nets after securing a trip to the state tournament.
As his teammates lined up to climb the ladder for a piece of history, Thomas stood 15 feet away in silent reflection.
“I knew it was my last ball game at the high school and I would never play there again. I was also really glad that we had accomplished something great in front of our community, my family and my friends,” Thomas said.
There were times, several to be exact, when Thomas couldn’t have imagined such a historic accomplishment or such a special moment.
His sophomore year, James Monroe was 8-15 and some of the losses were ugly. Thomas also took a beating physically.
“It is crazy from what we were my sophomore to what we are now. That year I sprained both my MCL’s and one of my ACLs,” Thomas said. “We had very low numbers on the roster, but we stayed together and pushed through as a team. I think that helped us a lot.”
Last year, sitting on the doorstep of the state tournament, the Mavericks endured a stunning loss in the Region 3 co-final on their home floor.
As tough as those moments were, they all paled in comparison to what happened against Greater Beckley Christian this year in just the third game of the regular season.
In an attempt to secure a rebound, the senior standout was knocked off balance and came down hard on his back.
Stunned silence quickly turned to extreme concern in a matter of seconds.
“I was laying on the floor there for like 45 minutes,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t really grab with my right hand and move my right leg. I was thinking I was done and I wasn’t going to play anymore.”
“I was in the hospital on the backboard for nearly four more hours and still couldn’t move much. After I got off the back board for X-rays and stuff, I started getting a little bit of feeling back,” Thomas continued. “Once I moved my toes for the first time, I felt like I would be alright as long as nothing was broken. It was very scary for me because it was my final season for any sports with the school.”
James Monroe head boys basketball coach Matt Sauvage was shaken in the close terrible moments, but he knew if anyone could come back from such an incident, his star big man could.
Sauvage had known Thomas and his family prior to coaching him along with his son Shad Sauvage in sixth grade at the middle school.
“We actually went undefeated in JV play that year. I planned on coaching them in middle school and then watching them in high school. That was my plan, but now I have coached them all four years of high school also,” Sauvage said.
While Sauvage emphasized that Thomas has always been an extremely hard worker on the court, he also gave key insight to another side of his senior big man.
“The first thing I think about with Cameron is more off the court than on the court. He is a very respectful kid,” Sauvage said. “He is also great with (younger) kids and that side is nice knowing we can trust him in those situations. We are role models for these young kids. His grades are great. He is a godly young man and goes to church every Sunday. It is the off-the-court side that impresses me the most.”
On the court this year, Thomas has blossomed into a nightly double-figure guy and has been a nemesis on the boards for opposing teams.
Thomas has pulled down 150 rebounds so far this season with 75 coming on each end of the floor.
“Of course he is bigger and stronger, but the biggest thing for him over the years has been confidence,” Sauvage said. “We were young as a team his sophomore season and he wasn’t very confident. Then last year, Judd (Lankford) came in and took that starting role. Cameron still played the same minutes, but it was just off the bench. His confidence was still a little shaken. This year, however, we told him we had to have him.”
Oddly enough, the early season injury added to Thomas’ confidence level according to his coach.
“As the season has gone along, especially after he got hurt, he could see how much we really needed him,” Sauvage said. “He could see it a little bit from the outside in. From that time, his confidence has grown and he has started reading the game better. The game has slowed down some for him.”
Offensively, along with being a beast on the glass, Thomas has made opponents pay dearly when they collapse to stop the penetration of the James Monroe guards.
“(Assistant head coach) Corey Miller ran the five in high school and he has preached two things to Cameron for four years,” Sauvage said. “First was, be patient down on the baseline and find your openings. It will feel like you are doing nothing, but step into them. Second, go offside and gobble up every offensive rebound that you can get. He has bought into it and that’s what he has done.”
While the rebounding came more natural, receiving the ball at the rim took a little more time and sometimes painful practice.
“With Eli (Allen) and Shad (Sauvage) driving, especially Eli, he had to keep his head on a swivel sometimes,” Sauvage said with a chuckle. “If you watch Cameron, his hands are up at all times, ready to receive the pass.”
Thomas admitted that keeping his hands up was learned, as they say, the hard way.
“We all know that Eli is pretty insane with the way he plays. I just had to learn that I had to catch those balls that he throws to me. They are coming no matter what,” Thomas said. “He is going to throw it through a window the size of a dinner plate. If you don’t have your hands up, it will hit you in the face. You always have to be prepared for it. Several times I thought I had broke my nose.”
Even though Thomas is expecting the ball, Allen still catches him by surprise from time to time.
“I think it was the last regular season game at home against (Greenbrier) West. He threw a ball at me and I am not joking, it was going 90 mph. I just ducked. I didn’t try to catch it,” Thomas said, laughing.
Issues from the injury still linger some for Thomas, who admitted having difficulty after the sectional championship win over Greater Beckley where he played 31 minutes.
“I couldn’t really walk. I couldn’t feel my toes and stuff like that. I just knew I needed to play,” Thomas said. “I am not sure what the team would be without me.”
Wednesday night when the horn sounded, the injuries and the struggles were distant memories when the James Monroe student body rushed the floor in celebration.
“When the game finally ended I was thinking, Holy cow! It has been a long road to this point,” Thomas said. “We all want to win states, but this is only the second time we have made it to the state tournament in our school’s history. I was just proud that we made it.”
Between the celebration with his classmates and his moment of reflection at the foul line, there was an even bigger moment for the James Monroe star.
“As soon as we won and got our team picture, I immediately started looking for my mom and dad. My dad played basketball in high school and he has pushed me a lot to play. My mom has pushed me to play,” Thomas said. “Just being able to see them and knowing that we had accomplished something I knew that made them proud was really special.”