If the first game of March Madness begins with Erik Thomas dominating Mount St. Mary's tonight, no one in Pasco County should be surprised. Consider what the New Orleans star forward did at Wesley Chapel High.
As a senior for the Wildcats, Thomaas averaged 33 points and 16 rebounds, posted 27 double-doubles in 29 games and earned all-state honors (and our award as North Suncoast player of the year). It runs in the family. His older sister, Sthefany, left Wesley Chapel High as Pasco County's all-time leading scorer.
Erik Thomas received Division I interest but was small (6-foot-5), which explains why he went to East Georgia State College and Baton Rouge Community College before ending up at New Orleans, where he was the Southland Conference's player of the year.