AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The KJ Thomas era at Randall was poetically summed up in one sentence following Randall’s 56-53 win over Canyon in the regional final this season.
“Luckily number five is on our team.” Randall assistant coach Trevor Johnson said. “KJ Thomas stepped up and took care of business there at the end.”
Thomas did take care of business. He scored the final 10 points of the game for Randall, with his team trailing to their district rivals and a trip to the state tournament on the line. He led the comeback, spiking the ball at the final buzzer as the team was headed back to the Alamodome.
The moment was nothing new for Thomas, and those words expressed by Coach Johnson have been a common feeling around Randall High School over the last several years.
The star guard has compiled over 2,500 points at Randall, a new school record. He’s left his mark with incredible shot-making, high-flying dunks, and legendary clutch performances.
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But now, his days as a Raider are winding to a close.
“Everybody tells you time flies, but you really don’t realize it until it’s coming to an end.” Thomas said after the final buzzer sounded in the state semifinals.
Randall fell 75-68 to Silbsee, bringing a magical run for the seniors on the team to an end.
Along with his teammates, Thomas helped lead the Raiders to the first state tournament appearance in school history last year and they made it back-to-back trips with this past postseason’s playoff run.
“These last couple years were very special, especially this year with the stuff we were battling.” Thomas said. “I mean, we faced a lot of adversity and I feel like we all fought through it as a team.”
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For head coach Leslie Broadhurst, what Thomas and these seniors have meant to him is hard to put into words.
“You know them as basketball players, but we know them as people.” Broadhurst said while getting emotional thinking about the time he’s spent with this year’s senior class. “It’s just... You don’t want to end that. And we won’t. We’ll be friends for the rest of our lives. We will have memories and they’ll bring their kids back and we will all talk about the things that they accomplished forever.”
With the basketball season over, Thomas will count down the final months as he prepares to make the next step in his basketball career.
“Saying goodbye to this team is really hard.” Thomas said. “This is all you know for the last four years, the bond you guys built. It’s definitely going to be tough, but like Devin [Baccas] said, I definitely feel like we left our legacy.”
Next season, Thomas will take the floor as a Miner as he will be playing Division I basketball with UTEP. The records and accolades Thomas set, both individually and with his team, have cemented him into the history books in Amarillo.
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