ARNAUDVILLE — Beau Chene’s Titus Thomas can be described as a man amongst boys.
The six-foot-three-inch senior averages 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game while leading the Gators to District 6-4A leading 20-5 record
“You can see it,” Beau Chene boys’ basketball head coach Chris Charlot said. “He’s an alpha dog, and he can take over a game in so many ways. He can do it, with scoring, passing, defense, blocking shots, and rebounding.”
His dominance took blood, sweat, and tears to get here as adversity hit Thomas square in the face early in his career.
Going into his sophomore and junior seasons, Thomas suffered injuries to his right hip and right shoulder.
“The injuries made me go harder,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t complaining or crying about it. I just went forward”
The deepest bruise Thomas received didn’t come from a physical setback but from the emotional heartbreak of losing his grandmother.
“It was hard,” Thomas said. “It was a hard pill to swallow because she was my all. After that, I would just go to the gym just for my grandma.”
Hazel Brooks was Thomas’ greatest motivation but instead of quitting on his dreams, Thomas used her memory to drive him towards greatness.
“I just knew that Grams wanted me to be good at this and go all out,” Thomas said. “She’s who I’m doing it for.”
Thomas carries her memory by wearing a message on his sneakers and uses it to uplift his game to new heights.
One of his biggest steps came against Opelousas Catholic where he registered a quadruple-double: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals, and 10 assists.
“You can tell when I’m in my zone because I’m locked in,” Thomas said. “You can see it in my eyes. When I’m in my zone, it’s go mode. There’s no holding back.”
“He’s always flying around getting steals and blocks,” Charlot said. “Him filling up the stat sheet every night is never a big surprise.”
Thomas’ scars have allowed him to shine, and now the young boy is primed to take his next leap to become a man.
“I asked for this,” Thomas said. “I’ve been doing this since middle school. It’s a time I’ve been waiting for. I’m ready for this time.”
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