Hill-Thomas a selfless player

By DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Staff Writer

FRESNO - Wins, not stats, is what gets Nevada's Garry Hill-Thomas excited about basketball these days.

Hill-Thomas, a senior, embodies what a true team player is. He'd rather score a bucket or two and have the Wolf Pack win rather than score 20 points in a losing effort.

"I got tired of it (losing)," he said prior to today's WAC tournament opener against SMU at noon at the Save Mart Center. "You go to the end of the year and you have a losing record.

"I saw a lot of seniors and they didn't win. I didn't want that to happen to me. I wanted to leave here a winner. Something had to give."

That something was Hill-Thomas' game. He went from being the team's second-leading scorer as a sophomore (15.6) to being more of a role player the past two years (averaging around 10 a game). He's one of the key reasons why the Wolf Pack shared the WAC regular-season title with UTEP this season.

"It wasn't hard because I wanted to win," Hill-Thomas said. "I get what comes to me. I just try to work hard and make plays. The other guys (Kirk Snyder and Nick Fazekas) are doing a great job. I just want to do whatever it takes to win."

His attitude has earned him the respect of his teammates and the coaching staff.

Head coach Trent Johnson recently said that Hill-Thomas was the Wolf Pack's most-consistent player.

"Garry has sacrificed his game for the betterment of the team," said Mark Fox, Nevada's assistant head coach. "He averaged 16 points as a game a couple of years ago, and he could probably do it now.

"He's more of a defender now, and we appreciate it. That shows that he cares about winning. He's been a selfless guy. As long as we win, he could care less about his stats."

Indeed. Hill-Thomas usually draws the toughest backcourt assignment, and he usually steps up to the challenge.

"Each time I'm out there I take it personal," Hill-Thomas said. "It's that guy against me. I get after him and get in his face. That's how I get respect. It's all about respect for me."

And, he got the highest praise possible when he was named to the WAC's defensive team.

"It was a great honor," Hill-Thomas said. "I worked very hard. To be rewarded is a great feeling. It's nice they have confidence in my defense."

Defense is all about hustle, heart and desire, according to Hill-Thomas, who showed those same tendencies when he was a standout at Bishop O' Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif.

"He's strong and quicker than most of the guys he guards," Fox said. "He knows how to defend, and he's a good situational defender."

That comes from studying film and listening to scouting reports, and Hill-Thomas is a student of the game in that respect.

Hill-Thomas said Hawaii's Michael Kuebler is the toughest player he's faced this season. Kuebler finished the regular season with an 18.1 average. Hill-Thomas held him to three first-half points before Kuebler caught fire in the second half and finished with 17.

"It's because they run him off so many screens," Hill-Thomas said. "They do a good job of getting him open. He's a good player, and you can't keep a good player down the whole time. I slowed him down long enough for us to win."

While Thomas usually comes up big defensively every night, he's had his moments in the sun offensively.

His 19-foot jump shot put away Louisiana Tech for good in a 71-67 win back on Jan. 8, and his tip-in beat Toledo 60-58 in the ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 21. He also scored 18 in last Saturday's 74-45 win over San Jose State.

"I don't think my offense has suffered any," he said. "I'm capable of scoring 20 points a game when they need me to."

And he'll do it any number of ways - from the outside or off the dribble. First and foremost, he's a slasher, and teams have learned to give him some room and challenge him to knock down a jump shot rather than having him drive and either score or create opportunities for teammates.

And if he's got an open teammate with a better shot, chances are good that Hill-Thomas will get him the ball.