Earl Austin Jr: Former Illini star Deon Thomas leads Lewis & Clark program

Former Illini star Deon Thomas leads Lewis & Clark program
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Earl  Austin on 17/02/2010 15:24:00
 
IT IS THOMAS’ FIRST COLLEGIATE COACHING JOB. AFTER A BRILLIANT COLLEGE
CAREER AT ILLINOIS, WHERE HE SCORED 2,129 POINTS, THOMAS SPENT 12 SUCCESSFUL
YEARS PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL OVERSEAS. HE RETIRED IN 2006 AND MOVED TO
FLORIDA, WHERE HE WAS COACHING HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL. WHEN THE JOB OF
BASKETBALL COACH AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT LEWIS & CLARK OPENED UP AFTER LAST
SEASON, THOMAS DECIDED TO MAKE THE MOVE BACK TO HIS HOME STATE OF ILLINOIS. HE
WAS A FORMER PREP STAR AT CHICAGO SIMEON HIGH.
Thomas and top assistant Milton Stith have done an excellent job of putting
together a talented team that hopes to make some noise in the upcoming regional
tournament in March.
“We are still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the way things are
going so far,” said Thomas, who graduated as the Illini’s career scoring
leader. “We have gotten a lot of support from the administration and the
community.”
The Trailblazers have a balanced scoring attack, led by 6’8” freshman
forward Rico Pierrevilus. The Florida native is averaging a team-high 11 points
a game. Jimmy Payton, a 6’4” sophomore from Chicago, is averaging 10 points
a game.
A trio of local players are also big contributors to the Trailblazers’
success. Freshman guard Anthony Jones (Cardinal Ritter) is averaging 10 points a
game. Jones scored a game-high 25 points in a victory over Shawnee last week.
Sophomore Marcus Johnson (Hazelwood Central) runs the show as the starting point
guard while 6’4” sophomore Justin Jones (Belleville Althoff) averages nearly
10 points a game.
Also in the mix are 5’9” freshman Darius Lowery from Chicago, 6’2”
freshman Bryson Smith from Florida and 6’7” freshman forward Gavin Scott
from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Adding more excitement to the Lewis & Clark program next year will be the move
up to the NJCAA Division I level. The imminent move to Division I was one of the
major factors that lured Thomas to Lewis & Clark, where he is also the
school’s athletic director.
“We’re very excited about moving up to Division I,” Thomas said. “Dr.
(school president Dale) Chapman is really stepping it up, so we have to step it
up as well.”
Lewis & Clark has three regular season games remaining before heading to
Shawnee, Ill. for the Region 24 Tournament, which begins on March 6.