Spotlight Skill: Playing with Urgency. Difficult to reduce to a conventional “skill,” Thomas brings a constant level of intensity and focus to the floor, whether he’s directing the offense or trying to force a turnover. Even though Thomas isn’t physically imposing, opposing teams can’t take him lightly, because he keeps his foot on the gas as an advantage creator and he doesn’t let up when he’s pressuring the basketball on defense.

Area for Growth: Pull-up shooting. Quick to shoot off the catch from three or get to the rim, Thomas doesn’t take nearly as many attempts from other places inside the arc. Creating space for jumpers, especially in the mid-range would make him a more dynamic scorer and playmaker.

Thomas had some extra sauce to his game on Saturday. Making a living getting to the paint, Thomas was dealing. When he wasn’t driving all the way to the cup for two, he was throwing dimes to forwards in the dunker spot and skip passes back to the perimeter for threes. Thomas got after it on defense too by forcing turnovers. And when he didn’t have the ball, he was spacing the floor for others.

Thomas helped Salesianum erase an early 15-point deficit against Father Judge and push the Philly power to the final whistle. A quick, shifty lead guard, he played with poise and confidence, getting into the lane to find open teammates or score it himself. He gives a young and talented Sallies group a potential go-to option late in games this season.

Not a “new” name in the traditional sense, Thomas returned back home after a year away and fell right back into the swing of things. He sped offensive players up with his pressure on the ball, defensively. Then, once he forced a turnover or had the ball in the halfcourt, Thomas tilted the defense off the bounce. He made a habit out of getting to the cup for two or finding a teammate with a pocket pass. He also spaced the floor off-ball with spot-up threes.