Rocky seems to have a lot of fire power this year especially in there starting group, the Grizzlies have started the season at 3-3 after being predicted to finish second to last in the state of Idaho and although there starters contribute a lot to that one player off the bench looks to return from injury stronger then ever and that’s Senior Forward Caden Thomas, he has returned from a ankle injury that took him out for the summer season the former member of the Owyhee Storm has been training for this very moment and I got the chance to interview him before Friday night’s Pro Image Holiday Classic tournament game. Here are some of the topics we discussed, Why is rocky different this year then in years past was my first question to him, “I think we all really have a great bond with together and have all gotten really close off the court than in years past. We all have developed great friendships, and we all want to push each other to succeed. A lot of guys have also gotten better than before on the court, and we have a lot of potential to succeed.”
Whats the team goal for the season? Caden replied with, “Our goal is to make it to state this year and prove doubters that Rocky basketball can be contenders with other teams in the state.”
After a tough injury over the summer how have you and your game been able to progress while you were out? “The injury has been a hard trial for me for sure. It was hard having a shortened offseason and seeing everyone play basketball while I couldn’t. All of the other guys have gotten better and progressed while I got set back and didn’t do any walking or running for months. Now being cleared to play again, I obviously can’t move, run, or jump the same due to the metal in my leg and ankle. But that means I just have to try a lot harder to do things. I also get sore a lot quicker than others and I’m more injury prone. Because of this I don’t play as much as I’ve played before in the past. However, everyday is a recovery day and one step closer to getting back to how I was before. A big thing I’ve learned though is how to be a better teammate, no matter if I play no minutes or a few. I always need to cheer my team on. Another thing I’ve learned is to just treat everyday like your last. Especially it being my senior year, my time playing basketball competitively is dwindling. So I just need to make sure I end it on a good note.”
It was a great interview with Caden and you can really see how much he cares about the team and how much he wants to make a big impact on the hardwood this season.
Rocky looks to silence the doubters and although its early the fight this group has shown over 6 games should make you want to believe in a potential state tournament run, but they will need all players firing on all cylinders and the return of Caden Thomas is a huge boost to the hopes of a state tournament bid.
Caleb Duffin • Dec 17, 2024 at 9:22 am
It is cool that Caden Thomas from the basketball team could return and how he could care about the team over the win and how he has made a big impact on the team.