Dec. 25, 2005

By James Hannah -

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Mugabe Thomas used to count gunshots instead of sheep as he tried to fall asleep at his home in Jamaica. Now, as a basketball star at tiny Cedarville University in sleepy southwest Ohio, Thomas hears no gunfire and can find real sheep not far from his dorm.

While Jamaica is not known for producing college basketball players, Thomas may force recruiters to pay more attention to that Caribbean island.
He led Cedarville to a team-record 28 victories and the NAIA Div. II final four last season, averaging 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds. His 25 double-doubles were best in the division.

When Thomas graduates next year, the six-foot-four 210-pound senior forward should have more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds since arriving at Cedarville in 2002. That would be second only to Ken Rucker, who scored 2,281 points and grabbed 1,200 rebounds for Cedarville from 1989 to 1993.
"He's certainly made a mark," said coach Ray Slagle. "But the amazing thing is the story."

Thomas grew up in Kingston and has lost close friends to the street violence there. More than 1,400 people have been slain on the island of 2.6 million since Jan. 1, and police say the toll is poised to surpass last year's record 1,471 killings.

"Kingston is a dangerous place all the time," Thomas said. "Me and my sister would sit up at night listening to gunshots, trying to figure out what gun was fired. We'd hear shots fired and say, 'Oh, that's an AK-47."'

His sister, who is four years older than Thomas, was so frightened that she would wait inside the house until her school bus rounded the corner, then sprint to the bus stop.

Three years ago, a good friend of Thomas was killed in Kingston - stabbed 27 times. That was especially painful to Thomas because his friend had been the one who pushed him to leave Jamaica and pursue basketball.

Thomas sought peace in the campus chapel.

"That's the first time I really broke down in tears since I've been here," he recalled.
Getting that basketball scholarship wasn't easy. Even though Thomas could dunk at age 13, averaged 44 points a game in high school and once scored 63, recruiters were few and far between. Although he got nibbles from North Carolina and Michigan State, the first solid offer came from Cedarville after a coach saw him play at a summer camp in Kingston.

"We get kids we would never get under other circumstances because - amazingly - Jamaica's not being recruited heavily," Slagle said. Cedarville has a second Jamaican player, and a third is expected to play next season.

About 40 Jamaicans play college basketball in the United States, nearly all at small colleges. The most famous Jamaican-born player is Patrick Ewing, who was born in Kingston and played cricket and soccer there before coming to the United States and taking up basketball. He played at Georgetown before starring in the NBA.
Cedarville is a conservative Baptist school of 3,100 students, who must write a statement of faith when they apply and graduate with a minor in Bible. The school is in the rural village of Cedarville, a three-stoplight burg with a grocery store that doubles as a filling station.

"This is the most small-town climate that you could probably find," Slagle said.
Thomas said Cedarville's Christian credo and Slagle's sincerity sealed the deal during recruiting, even though the Yellow Jackets play in the small-college NAIA. The clincher was when Slagle told Thomas he could call him collect any time.

"No other coach ever told me that before," Thomas said. "Did I ever take advantage of that."

Malone coach Hal Smith was on the losing side this season of a 98-74 game dominated by Thomas, who had 32 points and 13 rebounds.

"He did pretty much everything he wanted to do," Smith said. "He's a man among boys. He can dominate games physically. Even though he's not very tall, he's quick and jumps well. If he can shoot the ball like he did against us, he's going to be a terror."

Cedarville centre Drew Borton says he's still in awe of a play Thomas made last season against Seton Hill. Thomas grabbed a loose ball in the air under the Seton Hill basket. When his feet hit the floor, he fired a perfect behind-the-back pass to a streaking teammate 30 feet down the court for a layup.

"It was unreal," Borton recalled. "It was a bullet of a pass. I actually have a video clip of it on my computer."

Off the court, the 25-year-old Thomas is a diligent student and a campus leader.

"He's well known and very well liked," said Cedarville Mayor James Phipps, who teaches at Cedarville and is Thomas' academic adviser. "This kid's got a smile a yard wide and three miles long."

Thomas' easygoing nature morphs into pure intensity when he steps on the court, although he just can't seem to shed that smile, which he beams at friends and foes alike.

Thomas, who is majoring in communications, wants to play basketball after college. Whether he can make the leap from small-college hoops to the professional level is a question mark. In the meantime, he is soaking up the peace and quiet of Cedarville, letting the sedate university setting soothe the scarring from the violence of Kingston.

"I've lived a fast-paced life all my life," Thomas said. "I think the past couple years have made me slow down, and I've thought about a lot of stuff. It's maybe a boring cornfield, but there's a reason for it."