Far Out! : 3-Point Shot Was Made for Dons’ Simon Thomas

Brent Martin, Rancho Santiago College’s center, remembers the day last summer when teammate Simon Thomas learned that community college coaches had approved the three-point shot for this season.

“You should have seen him,” Martin said. “He didn’t say anything, he just had this big smile from ear to ear.”

You couldn’t blame Thomas, a 6-foot 2-inch sophomore guard, for being happy. The three-point shot was tailored for such players as Thomas who rely on the outside shot.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “A shot from three-point range (19 feet 9 inches) is really just like a regular shot for me.”

Tell Cypress Coach Don Johnson. Saturday night, Johnson watched Thomas make four three-pointers without a miss en route to a career-high 28 points in Rancho Santiago’s 93-75 victory over the Chargers in the championship game of the Cypress Tournament.

The three-point rule isn’t the only reason Thomas is averaging 11.6 points a game for the Dons. Before the season began, Rancho Santiago Coach Dana Pagett decided to switch Thomas from point guard, which he had always played, to shooting guard. That move allowed UC Santa Barbara transfer Chris Jackson to handle the ball.

For Thomas, it has been a major transition.

“I had played the point all my life and was used to giving up the ball,” he said. “When you play point guard, looking to pass is your No. 1 priority. Shooting is not a priority.

“Don’t get me wrong--I like shooting more. But I’m still getting used to the idea of doing so much of it.”

Thomas, the older brother of former Mater Dei High School star Stuart Thomas, who is at Stanford, didn’t start playing basketball until his sophomore year at Fountain Valley High School. His favorite sport had been soccer.

He earned a starting job in his senior season of 1984-85, but in the fourth game of the season he tore cartilage in his right knee and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery. He was able to return only for the final four games.

“The knee was still weak. I couldn’t play that hard once I came back,” Thomas said. “It was a pretty disappointing senior year.”

Because Thomas missed most of the season, Pagett didn’t have much of a chance to scout him. But he liked what little he saw. He was especially impressed with Thomas’ intensity.

Last season, Thomas averaged 11.1 points a game, but the season was frustrating. The Dons started 12-3, then lost 12 of their next 16 to finish 16-15.

The Dons are 12-3 again this season, but Thomas is hoping that will be the only similarity between this season and last.

“Our team was almost all freshmen last year, and that hurt us,” he said. “As freshmen, I just don’t think we were ready to compete on this level. It’s much more physical, and the physical style of play wore us down. We were tired during the second half of the season, and it showed.”

Thomas had trouble adjusting to the community college game, where there is more physical contact than on the high school level. He lost his temper and was called for fouls when referees caught him returning a shove or elbow.

“It wasn’t that big a problem, but losing your temper means you lose your concentration,” Pagett said. “Simon hasn’t been doing that this year.”

Said Thomas: “I still get mad when I get a cheap shot, but I don’t try and retaliate right on the spot. I’m in control now.”