Sebastian Thomas and David Green are two of Rhode Island's team captains for the 2024-25 season. Throughout the remainder of the season, they will team up on Captain's Corner, a blog for GoRhody.com that will take fans behind the scenes. Thomas and Green will each provide weekly updates.

CAPTAINS CORNER: What The Game Means
By Sebastian Thomas

Basketball means everything to me. I grew up with the game because my family was always really into it. For me, I always looked up to the people in my family who played basketball and took it from there.

I have been playing basketball ever since I was 4 years old. It's one of the biggest pieces of my life. It means everything, and I don't know what I would be doing if I wasn't playing basketball.

I played football, baseball and basketball growing up, and football was actually my favorite sport growing up. But then my dad made me quit. He said I was too skinny and he didn't want my risking injury. So basketball really became my focus in my first year of high school.

By the end of my sophomore year and entering my junior year was when I began to recognized the opportunities that basketball could offer. That was when I began looking at colleges with the understanding that I could play at the next level. That's when I took the game up another level.

Making that jump is all about the time and dedication you put into the game. Once you get to the next level or start pursuing a career in basketball, you really have to be 100 percent committed to it. If you don't commit 100 percent, you will never really know how far you can go with it. Once you realize what your dreams are, it is about maintaining the dedication and focus needed to reach your goals.

When you go out on the basketball court at this level, there is a certain level of focus needed in order to reach your end goal. On the other hand, it's still important to find that balance where the game is still fun. Even now, I may go out 30 minutes before practice and shoot by myself or do little fun things with basketball so I maintain that feeling of it being fun. There are times where you have that tunnel vision for the game, that focus that got you here. It can be hard, but you find ways to balance the work and the fun.

Every time you step on the court is a chance to show the work that has been put in to get you there. Interacting with fans brings me happiness. When something you do can put a smile on someone's face, I love that.

Coming into college, I was nervous. Being a freshman who was playing with a bunch of older guys, the main thing I wanted to do was learn from everybody. I took bits and pieces from every one of my teammates and coaches, developed it and put what I learned into my own game.

Now I am a senior, and my role is very different from my freshman year. I feel like a lot of people look up to me, and my job now is to lead. Instead of being quiet and just trying to learn from everyone else, now I have a responsibility to use my voice and teach others.

It's not just within our team at URI. I knew growing up playing basketball in Rhode Island that a lot of kids looked up to me. Rhode Island is so small and the basketball scene is not as big compared to other states around the country. So I knew I had a name in the game, but I never thought it would get this big to where a whole bunch of young kids would know who I was.

I thought it would be people my own age who might notice me. But when you realize that younger kids look up to you and come to a camp that you put on*, that is just a great feeling. That chance to teach them, interact with them and provide an example of what you can do, that means something special to me.

Until next time,
Bassy

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