Leesburg head coach Marcel Thomas nominated for coach of the year, March 24, 2011

LEESBURG YELLOW JACKETS 1ST YEAR HEAD COACH MARCEL THOMAS NOMINATED FOR THE FLORIDA DAIRY FARMERS COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

Gerald Lacey

Staff Writer

Carver Heights Quarterback Club

March 24, 2011

LEESBURG - The postseason awards nominations are starting to add up for 1st year head coach Marcel Thomas. Thomas has been nominated for The Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year award. He led Leesburg High School to it's 2nd Boys Basketball State Championship in the school's history. It is the school's first state title since 1977 ending a 34 year drought.

Leesburg is the eighth team to win a state title as a district runner-up since 1999.

“I am extremely proud of our team for setting high goals and then working hard to achieve them,” said Coach Marcel Thomas. “Hopefully, this is another step in the overall improvement of Leesburg High School.”

LEESBURG YELLOW JACKETS 1ST YEAR HEAD COACH MARCEL THOMAS

Thomas led his team with only two seniors starters to five straight road playoff wins by average of 11 points. Thomas coaching abilities were on display in the Class 4A State Championship Game, when sophomore guard Undra Mitchem, Jr. started losing his balance near the Leesburg bench. Thomas quickly got the referee's attention and called a timeout preventing a momentum changing turnover late in the game. He has found a way mold a young team that is full of 5 star prospects (every starter is ranked in the Florida Hoops Top 50 in their respective graduating class) into a unselfish offensive juggernaut.

"Coach Thomas works with the talent available to him," Mobley said. "If he doesn't the players to run the transition game, he doesn't force it on them. He can draw up some wonderful plays and he knows how to play defense, so there's a lot more to him than just rolling the ball out on the floor.

"He knows how to communicate with his players and they respond to what he says."

He's the ultimate player's coach. There are times when he seems more like one of his players rather than the guy who holds chalkboard sessions in the locker room.

In many ways, he still has a lot of player in him, even though he has sat at the head of the bench for the past nine years.

During his playing career, Thomas played at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo., where he was named Defensive Player of the Year. He also played college basketball at Florida State University and Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.

Thomas has embraced the programs tradition and formed relationships with former players including members of the 1977 Class 3A State Champions. He has turned Leesburg back into a basketball powerhouse with his unique coaching style and ability to communicate with his players, booster club and alumni. He has four starters returning in 2011-2012 including the State Tournament MVP PG Joe Toolie, the teams leading scorer. The Jackets are favored to win the title again in 2011-2012. A Preseason USA Today Top 25 selection is not out reach for the Jackets next season with Thomas at the helm.

 

"Leesburg has everything it needs to be a quality program," said Head Coach Marty Seidlin Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons. "It has a great coach and players that always show a lot of heart and hustle. They would have no problem competing with other teams on our schedule - and beating many of them. You don't have to be in a major metropolitan area to be the best."

"We've got great fans," Thomas said. "The best. We get support from the student body and the community. They help to keep us going late in the fourth quarter, when we're tired and things aren't going our way. They help to get us over the hump. Without our fans, I'm don't know if we're playing for a state championship.

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Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
www.leesburgyellowjacketsbasketball.com

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