Prospect Spotlight: Elizabeth Thomas (2020)

A talented 2020 shooting guard, Olathe Northwest’s Elizabeth Thomas is making a name for herself this season, helping lead the Ravens to a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament in Wichita. Thomas scored 13 points in the third-place game, and showcased a solid all-around game throughout the weekend. She has good range well beyond the 3-point arc and says her role in to knock down outside shots and play solid defense. Thomas is one of several talented underclassmen who helped lead Northwest to a 16-9 record. “I love my team, we had a bumpy start but we finished the season incredibly strong,” Thomas said. “We beat a number one seed to make it to state and another number one team to make it to the semifinals. I think i also finished the season strong and got better with every game.” Thomas says she looks forward to spending the offseason working on various areas of her game, including improving her on-ball defense, ball handling and point guard skills. She says her dad has had the biggest influence on her basketball career to date. “He has always supported me and never doubted me,” Thomas said. “He has helped coach and train me over the years and he is the reason I started playing basketball in the first place.’ Thomas says her entire family are big Kansas Jayhawks fans and grew up with the program. “I am a big fan of Bill Self. I always try and watch my position play and specially watch how the shooting guards find open shots, how they use screens or how they set screens on other players to get open,” she said. “I try to imply those same principles in my game.”