So far this season the varsity Greyhound basketball team has made a major improvement compared to recent years. One of the main contributors to this is junior guard and forward Christian Thomas, who has the highest average on the team at 21.8 points per game and also cleans the boards for the fairly undersized Hounds, chalking up nearly 10 rebounds per game.

Christian Thomas dunks in a recent away game. Thomas finished with 24 points on the night to improve his team-high average to 21.8 points per game.

Thomas has been playing since he was only eight years old, and his heart has always been in the sport. He started playing basketball because he wanted to be just like his dad.
“My dad was a big basketball player when he was in high school and he played at Kansas State, so when I was little I decided to try and be like him,” Thomas said.
When he was younger, his father was constantly trying to challenge him in order improve his overall game.
“To get better, my dad had me always play against older kids,” Thomas said. “Also I played with my brother who is six years older, so he always challenged me.”
As soon as Thomas entered high school, all his hard work paid off. He began playing on the varsity team his freshman year.  Thomas actually entered a situation at Clayton that benefited him because it was a young team and not a very high-caliber squad, which allowed him to adjust to the varsity level of play without much pressure.
Many Clayton students fondly remember the shot that Thomas hit at the buzzer in overtime against the rival Ladue Rams in district play to win the game in 2008.  Even as a freshman, Thomas showed that he had nerves of steel, calmly putting back a Greyhound miss in order to extend the team’s season.
With the help of Thomas, the team’s record so far is 12-5, compared to last year when the team finished 18-9.
“I know we will win more and make farther in districts, hopefully even state,” Thomas said.
Each season Thomas sets an expectation for himself. This season he wanted to improve from the last.
“I wanted to average more than 14 points a game because that’s what I did as a sophomore, so I wanted to improve on that,” Thomas said.
However not only did he want to average more than 14 points per game, but Thomas also wanted to get stronger and improve his shooting.
Thomas is clearly improving on his shooting, as evidenced by his performance against Eureka in which he scored 40 points, which happens to be his fondest memory so far this season.
Thomas has a field goal percentage of 52 percent, and a 47 percent average from behind the three-point line. From the free throw line Thomas is shooting almost 66% by connecting on 87 of his team-high 132 attempts.
“Christian has as much talent in his little finger as most of us have in our entire bodies,” head coach, Ryan Luhning said. “He is someone who doesn’t take his talent for granted. He is our hardest worker and that’s why he’s successful.”
Thomas has done a remarkable job of improving his ball handling skills, as well as his jump shot.  The changes have already paid off for the Hounds and Thomas.
In a game against MICDS earlier this season, the opposing Rams were determined to not let Thomas beat them down low, so he easily stepped outside the arc and drained his first five three-point attempts.
As well, Thomas has carried the ball up the court much more this season than in the past.
Thomas hasn’t just improved on goals he set for himself, but he has improved the overall team as well.
“Christian isn’t just someone who plays basketball,” senior forward Preston Burnsed said. “He’s a basketball player who was born to play the sport. His natural talent along with hard work will help the ‘Greyhound pack’ have a very successful season.”
Since Thomas is such a great player, he has already had college scouts looking at him, several of whom came to watch him play over the summer.
Thomas has got his eye on one college in particular, the University of Nevada.
“I like the coaches there and they have a good winning tradition,” Thomas said.
To Thomas, basketball isn’t just a high school thing. His love for the game is something that he wants to pursue in the future.
“I definitely want to play in college and if I get the chance to make it a career, I would love to,” Thomas said. 