14 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, August 6, 2001 PLAYING WITH FIRE Former Wolverine Stacey Thomas returns home with with Portland By Benjamin Singer * Daily Sports Editor AUBURN HILLS - Michigan coach Sue Guevara waited for her former player to come out of the Portland Fire locker room. Stacey Thomas emerged, and the two greeted each other happily with hugs and smiles. "Tell me what you need," Guevara said, still trying to take care of her once-leader and still friend. "You need shoes?" she asked, looking down at Thomas' white sneakers. "No, I'm alright, coach," Thomas smiled back. Guevara, who would normally pull for the Detroit Shock in a WNBA game. stood in her Portland Fire shirt. As she cheered on Thomas as a fan (not a coach), the Flint native scored seven points, three rebounds and added one of her specialties - a steal. The Shock nevertheless completed a comeback of an 11-point halftime deficit to win 70-65. Sophia Wither- spoon had a chance to tie the game at 68-68 for the Fire in the closing sec- onds, but missed the three pointer. "I wish (Stacey Thomas) had the shot at the end," she said. Maybe that's how Guevara would have drawn up the last play a couple years ago at Michigan, but on this Sat- urday night, Thomas sat on the bench for the last shot. After starting for four years as a small forward at Michigan and then a year of starting for Portland in her rook- ie year, Thomas is being introduced to a new responsibility on the basketball: team-role player. "This season is the first year of her life when she hasn't been a starter," Guevara said. "She's adjusted to a new role of coming off the bench. Her role, in one respect, is the same as it was here, defensive specialist." Thomas made her mark as a tena- cious defensive player as a Wolverine. She won the first-ever Big Ten Defen- sive Player of the Year in 2000. She also cites breaking the Big Ten steals record as her favorite basketball moment. At Michigan, she was productive on the other side of the ball as well, scor- ing 13.5 points per game in her four years. But in her rookie season with the Fire, she managed just 5.1 points an 6 outing. Then the Fire made a few off- season acquisitions, including first- Portland's Stacey Thomas (left), the all-ti round draft selection Jackie Stiles - the next move by the Detroit Shock's Ed% the all-time scoring leader in women's defensive specialist, she lives up to her college basketball from Southwest Mis- reputation by nearly nabbing a steal for souri State - and Thomas found her- every game she plays --27 take-aways self squeezed out of the starting lineup, in 28 games - while averaging just 13 "She's got to becone a better shooter minutes a game. for her to be able to get more time," "Stacey is our best perimeter defend- Fire coach Linda Hargrove said. er," Hargrove said. "She's a great ath- "Towards the end of last year people lete on the perimeter, very focused on really started to play off of her and we defense and somebody who's very couldn't get the ball into the post. quick, can get steals for us." "That's something she's got to h Thomas is one of two former get to be really successful on this Wolverines in the WNBA, with the level, she can't just take it to 1998 Michigan graduate. the hole every time. She Pollyanna Johns of the Cleve- knows that that's her area of . land Rockers being the other. weakness and that's where she's got to Both Thomas and Guevara have hope get better in the offseason." that some other Wolverines will be Although she doesn't start, Thomas playing alongside those two in the is proud of her contributions to the WNBA someday soon. team. As someone who comes off the "I feel like practically all the seniors bench, she can be used to try to change have the potential to do it," Thomas the tempo of the game, a pick-me-up said. "I played with them two, three for Portland to light the defensive years and they're tough." "Fire" under her team's collective belly. Thomas also got to see them play "I always tell everybody I love without herself on the court for the first defense more than scoring," Thomas semester of the 2000-01 season as she said. "I take great pride in it. It probably finished up her Business degree at started in my college years. It started Michigan. One of those Wolverines she off with getting a lot of steals and watched from the stands was WNBA checking the toughest player on the hopeful Anne Thorius. other team." Thorius, who was drafted in the As Thomas adjusts to her new title of fourth round, was the last cut by the Orlando Miracle, keeping her out of the league for this year. But she signed with MARJORIE MARSHALL, me Big Ten leader in steals, anticipate wina Brown. a team in Poland and will be tryin improve her game in Europe for an er shot at the WNBA. "(Michigan) lost a really good lea Anne Thorius. She was the floor ge al, the pilot of the team, even wh< was there," Thomas said, who sI four months of basketball in Swe herself before her rookie year v Portland. "I think it's going to be a g experience (for Thorius). It's goin; put her in the position to score an work on her defense. Point guy being able to defend is a key thing." Thomas was able to stay in ce- with Thorius last summer whil interned at Nike in Portland dui Thomas' rookie season. Former te mate Katie Dykhouse, who just ished her Michigan career with Thos has that same internship this sums and according to Thomas attends e, Portland game. Thomas still e-mails her old cc Guevara for advice and encouragej as well. But no amount of contaN technology makes up for being bac home with her friends, family and f "It was great hearing people c my name," Thomas said, who spe several signs during the game in support. "Everyone's talking about Blue' and 'Go Wolverines,' so it nice. I had alot of fun." MARJORIE MARSHAL Stacey Thomas (left) tries to drive against Edwin Brown of the Detroit Shock. Thomas scored seven points In this her homecoming. I MEXICAN CAFE 333E Huron " Ann Arbor TANN ARBOR'S FINEST MEXICAN STYLE FOOD! MEXICAN RESTAURANT Mic i4 ,Day rtatrs orhSuiilh.ttEMjli t oh st Princess of thieves Stacey Thomas made a name for 4 self at Michigan with her smothering defense, which helped earn her the all-time Big Ten record for steals, and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She was drafted by the Portland Fire in the second round of the 2000 WNBA draft as the 23rd overall selection. Here are her col- lege statistics: Year G PPG RPGA 4 1996-97 26 12.9 6.6 50 71 ssOW5/DaIs 1997-98 29 11.7 7.3 52 89 The foundation of Thomas college 1998-99 30 14.9 7.8 56 111 career was her defense. 1999-00 30 14.5 7.7 64 10: GIVE US A CHANCE TO BEAT ANYONE ELSE'S RATES