Former Curtis, UW Star Isaiah Thomas Shares His Story With Youth At University Of Washington-Tacoma

(This story came courtesy of the University of Washington-Tacoma)

University of Washington Husky hoops star Isaiah Thomas dished out advice this week that teens typically don’t want to hear: Listen to your parents.

The Tacoma native told dozens of high school seniors in a college awareness program at UW-Tacoma that he wished he had heeded his parents’ pleas to make the most of his time in high school. Instead, he blew off his studies at in University Place, endangering the possibility of a full-ride basketball scholarship to UW. 

To catch up on his high school coursework, he transferred to an all-boys prep school “in the middle of nowhere” in Connecticut.  

Today, after performing as a standout point guard for the UW Huskies, the 22-year-old is preparing to prove himself on the court as a Sacramento Kings’ draft pick.

“I want you guys in high school to really listen to your parents,” he told students in the Getting Ready for Success program at UW Tacoma. “They’ve been through everything you’re about to go through. ... The only thing they’re trying to do is try to help you out and try to make you have a successful life.

“And it starts with your education.”

More than 85 incoming seniors from Mount Tahoma and Lincoln high schools in Tacoma participated in the three-week program. They learned about financial aid, the admissions process, appropriate behavior and other aspects of college life, and practiced writing and math skills. UW Tacoma and the College Success Foundation sponsored thepilot program through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Photos with the star

Clad in a white T-shirt and black basketball shorts, Thomas spoke at the program’s closing ceremony on Thursday. After his talk, students swarmed him for photos and autographs. 

Lincoln student Leticia Zuniga said she found Thomas inspiring.

“He really told us about his life and that it would be difficult for us, too,” Zuniga said moments after getting her photo snapped with Thomas.  “Even though people put us down, we can do whatever we set our minds to.”

Thomas said he would have liked to attend something like the Getting Ready program as a teen. He said he never skipped classes in high school; he just didn’t do his schoolwork. He thought his basketball abilities could pave his path to college.

 “That’s the worst attitude ever to have,” he said.

Proving doubters wrong

Thomas said going to South Kent School in Connecticut for two years was the worst experience in his life – yet the best preparation to help him mature as a student, ball player and man. 

He came to regard it as another chance to show doubters they were wrong. Ever since he was a kid, the 5-foot-9 Thomas said, people have told him he was too short to play basketball, lacked the skills to make it to the next level, that he’d never make it to the NBA.

Thomas entered the NBA draft this past spring when he was a junior. Though he was the last player chosen, he was drafted, all the same.

Despite his initial academic struggles, Thomas noted that he had the highest grade-point average – 2.9 – on the Husky team, and is two quarters short of earning a bachelor’s degree in American ethnic studies. Determined to become the first in his family to earn a college degree, Thomas said he hopes to enroll in online classes if the NBA player lockout continues.

Proud of his T-Town roots

When his former coach and mentor, Jim Marsh, asked him to speak at the Getting Ready program, Thomas said he gladly accepted when he heard it was in Tacoma. His parents still live in the City of Destiny.

“Growing up in Tacoma, as you guys know, it’s not easy. People overlook you because Seattle is the big city up north, and people really don’t respect Tacoma as much as they should.”

But he’s not like some native Tacomans who claim they‘re from Seattle.

“I’m so proud to be from Tacoma, that I always say ‘Tacoma.’ I’ve got a tattoo on my back that says born and raised in Tacoma.

“I mean, without you guys, I really wouldn’t be here. I know a lot of people say that, but that’s how I feel, and I mean that. Growing up in Tacoma is the best place ever, and I’m always gonna be here, always gonna be around. I grew up playing basketball at the People’s Center, Al Davies ... all those community centers.

“I‘m just like you guys. I’m always gonna rep it to the end.”