The Collegian

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Sports

New head coach Paul Thomas hopes to continue winning ways with the lady Gaels.

For a coach, stepping into the spotlight of NCAA Division I sports for the first time is never easy. However the new women's basketball head coach Paul Thomas is more qualified for the job than most, already with two Division II National Championships to his name at Cal Poly Pomona.

Thomas, who was hired in early August, has had an easy transition up to this point.

"It's been seamless. I like the energy and excitement the student body has amongst itself and I'm looking forward to the consistent competition, the challenge of Division I athletics."

Before gaining national recognition at Pomona, Thomas began his coaching career at his alma mater Wayne State College in his home state of Nebraska. His four season stint with the Wildcats was the culmination of a dream that he said began in high school.

"When I was a junior in high school," said Thomas, "I broke my collar bone playing football. Throughout the long healing process, I began focusing on getting ready for basketball. Working on the game and all the intricacies, I got hooked and began to appreciate it more."

Since then, Thomas has built an impressive past five seasons with the Broncos at Pomona. In that span he amassed a record of 115-32 including a 14-6 record in post-season play.

These wins translated into trips to the Division II NCAA Tournament in eight of the last twelve years and Sweet Sixteen appearances in four of the last seven seasons.

Thomas hopes to employ the same winning philosophy here at Saint Mary's as he has at his three previous collegiate coaching jobs. He believes in developing his athletes as a complete, well-rounded people.

"We hope these young ladies will give 100% in all aspects of their lives," said Thomas. "We want them to give all they have on the court, off the court, academically, and in community service."

While he plans to develop each woman as a person, athletically Thomas is taking the approach of beginning from what he calls "ground zero."

The entire coaching staff has committed to a strategy of developing the fundamentals, teaching their players how to compete and how to have fun doing so.

Thomas has already witnessed the cohesiveness of the squad via a recent team retreat and believes this is one of the team's strongest aspects.

Thomas explained his philosophy by saying, "If we work hard and get the fundamentals down, the wins and trips to the NCAA Tournament will eventually follow."

With the appointment of Thomas comes the newly appointed assistant coach, Tasha Burnett, who played under Thomas while attending Cal Poly Pomona. In 2001, Burnett led her team to the NCAA Division II Championships.

"She is going to make the transition that much easier. She knows what we are teaching, how we are teaching, and why we are teaching this style of basketball," said Thomas.

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