Samantha Meyers
His peers think of him as a talented athlete, hardworking student, and a quick-footed basketball player; his name is Jalin Thomas. Now Thomas has been selected for the Hal Chasey Award by the Florida Community College Activities Association.
The Hal Chasey Award has only been given to five PJC basketball players in the past. It is a prestigious award given to one Community College player in Florida on the basis of statistics on the court and an outstanding academic record. Along with the Hal Chasey Award, Thomas accepted the Academic Award for the men’s basketball team.
Thomas averaged 12.5 points, 1.64 assists, and 4.28 rebounds per game for the 2008-2009 season. In addition, he had a 34.6 percent for three-pointers, 48 percent shooting on the field, and a 72.6 percent from the free throw line.
He has always kept up his grades; this past semester Thomas received a 4.0 grade point average. Thomas is in General Studies as of now, but plans to major in business or sports communication.
Thomas is a 20-year-old sophomore at PJC who has been playing basketball since second grade. He was not recruited by PJC, but after talking with Head Coach Paul Swanson, he got a tryout anyway. His 6’4 height and good impression on Swanson won him a spot on the team for the 2007-2008 season.
He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where his family still lives. Thomas was home schooled until his sophomore year of high school. He comes from a large family with four sisters and two brothers. He enjoys hanging out with the guys from the dorms, going to the beach, and running.
Apart from Thomas’ other hobbies, he is focusing on basketball. He is hoping to hear back from Mercer University in Georgia, Stetson University in Florida, and Ohio University.
“I’m hoping for a Division I scholarship, and I want to be successful at it,” he said. “I won’t be lazy if I get it, like some players. I will keep working hard, and whatever I go for, I want to be successful in too.”
If some of these opportunities do not work out, Thomas said he would love to play overseas. He has several friends that have done so.
Nevertheless, Thomas has had a gratifying season.
“I didn’t think it would be better than last season, but it was,” he said. “It’s a great group of guys. It was disappointing to only win two conference games. We had a good chance, but we just couldn’t pull through.”