By Leron Massey.

“No athlete is truly tested until they’ve stared an injury in the face and came out on the other side stronger than ever.”

On Feb. 18th, 2017, in a game against Abilene Christian, senior guard Sami Thomas endured a season-ending knee damage after posting career high performances in both scoring and assists. Before her injury, she had 10 points and six assists.

“After surgery, I basically had to teach myself how to walk, run, and run again,” said Thomas.

Sami Thomas believes that coming to NSU improved her as a competitor.

“Well, coming here has changed my game on all levels, especially defensively,” said Sami. “You need to work twice as hard just to be as good, if not better, than the competition.”

Sami Thomas leads the lady Demons in assists with 89, ninth best in the conference. Also, she is fourth on the team in rebounds, with a total of 69. Her assist to turnover ratio is 2.4, seventh best in the conference, and she has a 75 percent free-point completion rate. In her final game as a lady Demon, she had 13 points and seven assists, helping her team overcome a 14-point first-half deficit last Saturday against Central Arkansas.

She has effectively earned her bachelor’s degree, and is close to completing her masters. She aspires to become a coach on the collegiate level.