Girls: Brandy Thomas makes her college choice
One of the more unsung and underrated talents throughout the summer AAU months was 5'9" guard Brandy Thomas (Christ the King '18).
Starting with the NYC Heat and then finishing up in July with New Heights, Thomas looked more comfortable with the ball in her hands, continuously used her strength to push her way to the basket, while also becoming a strong shooter from long range.
Her importance to Christ the King is huge as well as she embraced the role as veteran leader last season as a junior, and now looks entrenched as one of the Royals top scorers going into her senior season, one that she hopes will end with a CHSAA City Championship.
College wise things were beginning to pick up as of late for Thomas as well, but one school who has been on her for many months now has been LIU-Brooklyn as they were the first school to offer her back in April, and after a visit this past weekend to the Blackbirds campus, Thomas knew she had found home committing to the NEC power on Sunday evening.
There was a deep bond built between Thomas and the LIU-Brooklyn coaching staff from the get go as they made her a priority throughout the summer, making sure they got to as many games of hers as possible.
While the Blackbirds ended up as the only Division 1 school to offer Thomas, she was starting to hear a good amount from St. Peter's, Hofstra, and UMass, but there was no need to continue with the process when your heart already knows what it wants.
"The moment I went on an unofficial to LIU-Brooklyn I knew because I loved the atmosphere, and the team and coaching staff were so welcoming," Thomas stated. "I am just so happy to be committed to a school that I love."
Blackbirds head coach Stephanie Del Preore did a fantastic job recruiting Thomas, but she and her staff weren't the only ones going out of their way to make her feel wanted and needed.
Playing with New Heights throughout July, Thomas built a close relationship with point guard Lauren Hackett, and when Hackett committed to LIU-Brooklyn in August, Thomas says her attention turned towards making she Thomas soon was to follow.
"Lauren absolutely did recruit me," Thomas said. "We got really close and both of our games gel together, and we loved playing together and hanging out so knowing I have someone I know already when I get there was huge."
What LIU-Brooklyn will get in Thomas is someone who will do whatever is needed for the team. She is a tenacious rebounder and doesn't mind mixing it up inside when asked, but she is also capable of being a lead guard as she has improved her handle, while being able to score in multiple ways making her a true dynamic threat who should be a valuable weapon for LIU-Brooklyn in the years ahead.
With the college decision out of the way, Thomas now can set her sights on the CHSAA Championship that she so covets. Christ the King fell just short last season losing at the buzzer to The Mary Louis Academy, and with that moment and game still sticking with her, Thomas wants to make sure she goes out a winner.
"I don't want to leave high school without getting our trophy back. I want it back and I want to add a State Federation chip too. I want to go out a champion," Thomas admitted.
The future is bright for LIU-Brooklyn with its recent commits, and Thomas should only make the future even brighter as her winning mentality and pedigree will only help the Blackbirds climb the ladder in the Northeast Conference.
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