UH’s Mike Thomas proves to be rock solid

Hawaii basketball’s version of “The Rock” remained stone faced. If Mike Thomas was aware of the correlation between his dream job in sports marketing and his present circumstances, he left it unsaid and unseen.

“I’m big on image,” Thomas said. “For me it’s a big deal talking about guys who maybe don’t have the brightest light on them, and changing that into seeing how they can become a great person for society and in basketball, in sports and everything like that. That’s what I want to do.”

UH’s co-captain might not jump out at you the way, say, Aaron Valdes does on an alley-oop slam, have his fingerprints all over the basketball like Roderick Bobbitt or break down a defender in crowd-pleasing fashion like Isaac Fleming.

What he does — besides offer steady play at power forward — is help make those parts and personalities work together. And that, to coach Eran Ganot, makes Thomas among the rarest of commodities.

“He’s a machine in that regard. That’s why we call him our rock,” Ganot said. “His work ethic, his attitude. His appreciation and love for this program and Hawaii. … You’re only as good as your leadership, and he’s done a great job in that role.”

Make no mistake, the 6-foot-7 junior’s on-court contributions are a big reason why the Rainbow Warriors (18-3, 7-1 Big West) are in position to settle possession of first place with UC Irvine (18-6, 7-1) on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Thomas is one of two players who’ve started all 21 games for the Rainbows. His field-goal percentage of .544 is fourth among Big West players, or would be, anyway, if he shot more times per game.

That’s the beauty of it; Thomas (8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds) has a knack for picking his spots and making the most of them on a roster loaded with offensive firepower.

When the lefty scored a career-high 20 on 7-for-11 shooting against Long Beach State on Jan. 30, he became the fifth ’Bow to post a 20-point game this season. It was one of two times all season he attempted double-digit field goals.

“My job is really to rebound, take charges and do all the defensive stuff,” Thomas said. “My shots can be overlooked, but you gotta be fine with that in this role. Some nights I’ll have four (points), some nights I’ll go for 20. So it’s just finding whatever’s open, whatever I need to take.”

If he beats the 6-foot-11 Stefan Jankovic down the court, he acts as the “in” man in the four-out, one-in offense, something that happened about half the time on the team’s road sweep at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly last week. Neither of the big men mind; Thomas scores efficiently inside and it allows Jankovic to use his diverse perimeter abilities.

Defensively, he is UH’s rangiest player on the floor.

“He’ll sprint the floor, he’ll crash into a guy, he’ll block a guy out,” said assistant coach Chris Acker. “He’s the one guy who can close out, help, and then grab a rebound all in one possession.”

Thomas’ 37 offensive rebounds lead the team. He had five on that end among his personal-best 13 total boards against Cal Poly to open up league play.

“What I’ve seen him do more now, is just take it upon himself to take rebounding more personally,” Acker said. “And I think he has a goal of wanting to be one of the best rebounders in the league.”

He’s already elite when it comes to acting as a steadying force on a team stocked with, shall we say, volatile personalities.

Bringing those minds together is part of the job, as far as he’s concerned.

“Absolutely, and seeing the common goal that we want to win,” Thomas said. “Like Stefan Jovanovic, who’s a low-post guy, pretty quiet, makes his shots, and plays hard on defense and everything. And a guy like Isaac, getting those guys to mesh together to where Isaac can play that way and find Stef. You know what I mean? Their different styles of play don’t match sometimes. Helping guys see that. That’s the coaches as well, and other guys.”

To Thomas’ father, John, a former coach at Taft High School in Southern California, his son has made huge strides when it comes to separating emotion from the obstacles of the moment.

And Mike has been among the ‘Bows to face adversity in large doses. He’s had three head coaches in three years at UH coming out of El Camino Real High, where he was a go-to guy and was recruited as a small forward.

“I think that’s where Michael has grown up a lot,” John Thomas said. “His ability to be able to kind of filter through the distractions or issues in all the transitions, and try to stay focused and stay consistent as an individual and also a part of the Rainbow Warrior program.”

He’s among the crop of players who can transfer out before their senior season without a penalty because of next year’s postseason ban laid down by the NCAA. Like his teammates, he’s in no rush to make a decision.

“I’m still thinking about it and still playing the season, and enjoying this year,” Thomas said. “I think it’s been a big year for us and we haven’t had this type of success since I’ve gotten here.”

When Ganot took the UH job last spring, he talked extensively with each returning player. He targeted Thomas right away as a vital cog in keeping the team together through another transition.

“He’s kind been an unsung hero, a little bit,” Ganot said. “You cannot underrate his value to this program. He’s a guy you’re going to talk about with your future teams. We’re very proud and fortunate to have him. I love him.”

When it comes to creating a lasting bond, the Rainbow Warriors’ resident glue guy is sticking to it.