You’ll recall one of UConn’s starting guards the last time they played here at the Paradise Jam was senior Mel Thomas. And Thomas is here again, only this time as the director of operations for Florida Gulf Coast University, for whom she has worked for three seasons.
“It’s weird being here again, only this time from a different perspective,” Thomas said. “None of my former UConn teammates are here, but I have all the memories. It’s a fun, new experience.
“Our team is very young, with nine new players, and we’ve already had a few knee injuries – and I certainly know how that goes. Right now, we may struggle a bit, but we will eventually be a good team. This is a new experience for us. We are throwing the girls into the fire and see how they make it.”
FGCU, which is located in Ft. Myers, Fla., played DePaul tough in their first game Thursday before losing.
Thomas remembers the great promise UConn’s 2007-08 team had and how it felt when it returned from St. Thomas.
“I remember thinking there was no way we could lose a game. That’s the mindset we had. And we didn’t lose while I was playing,” said Thomas smiling.
Her career ended with a knee injury at Syracuse on Jan. 15, 2008. It came just a few weeks after Kalana Greene’s year ended against South Carolina, also because of a knee injury.
UConn went to the Final Four 36-1, but lost to Stanford in the semfinal.
“It was very hard to watch Kalana go down, and then not be able to play, either,” Thomas said. “We had something special and we had a lot of fun.”
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6 Responses to Mel Thomas Back At Paradise Jam – In Different Role
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For me she will forever be known as “Hanni-Mel” Thomas, originating from her playing with that freaky deaky face mask after breaking her nose.
It’s nice to hear that she’s still in “the game”.
Great to hear news about Mel!
Stanford is going to spank UConn. Rebounds plus Refs equals Smack Down.
Love you Baylor yappers.
No one cares what you spew on here.
UCONN would have won that last game with 3 players total.
FREDDYKOOL: BAYLOR, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE IS?
Yes Freddy, it’s over the Hudson into NJ. Do you know where the Commodore Barry bridge is??
Baylor may go 78 and 2 but it will never reach 90 and 0 as Uconn did. Oh yes the second loss if the one Uconn dumps on Baylor when they play BU in Hartford. Buck will push Griner around, Steward will score on Williams, Banks will steal the eye teeth out of Sims–a different outcome this year.