TERRE HAUTE — On some level, Indiana State cornerback Elliott Thomas feels fortunate.
The redshirt freshman has worked his way into a backup role for the Sycamores and he notched on tackle in his debut Saturday at Purdue.
More than that, though, Thomas has a strong family to fall back on, and a home to return to in La Place, La.
When you consider how thoroughly Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Delta region — causing major damage in Thomas’ hometown, located 24 miles northwest of New Orleans on the west shore of Lake Pontchartrain — none of the above-mentioned things most of us take for granted can be counted as small victories given the scope of the horror Louisiana is still trying to recover from.
“I’m thankful,” Thomas said. “My heart goes out to everybody who lost their homes. We got damage, but its not close to what some people got. Some people lost family members, so I just thank God for what I have.”
But just because things reached some semblance of stability in Thomas’ life doesn’t mean the last year was easy for the 5-foot-9, 170-pound defender.
Thomas’ family — his father Elliott Sr. and his mother Angelic — were displaced by the devastation Katrina wrought for over three months. They evacuated to Houston for two months, living out of a hotel. They eventually came to Terre Haute to watch Elliott Jr.’s progress, also stayed in a local hotel.
“It was kind of crazy, I didn’t even know it was going to hit until I saw it on the news that night,” Thomas said. “My family took off for Texas for a few weeks. It was crazy.”
The Thomas home in La Place suffered damage. A number of trees on the property fell down, their was roof damage that caused water to get in the house, and like thousands of other Louisianans, there was no power for weeks. The Thomas’ returned just before Christmas. Happily, most of the damage on the Thomas property has been taken care of, though he said there is still some tree and ceiling damage at his home.
Other than the day-to-day grind of practice and Thomas’ class work, there wasn’t game action to occupy his mind or give him an avenue to channel his aggressions, if indeed, that was necessary for the soft-spoken Thomas.
“Everything about last year was an adjustment. I had been a two-year starter when I was in high school, and I had to get used to not playing. Then with all the other stuff going on ...” said Thomas, trailing off, knowing full well what the “other stuff” entailed.
ISU coach Lou West credits Thomas’ family structure for helping Thomas get through his difficult redshirt season.
“He has strong parents, his dad and mother support him and push education. They assured him they were OK and they wanted him to make sure he was doing what he needed to do here. With that type of support, Elliott ran with it and did a good job,” West said.
On the field, the diminutive Thomas knew he had to work hard to get an opportunity, especially since Kyle James was a returning starter and with Ohio State transfer Michael Roberts coming aboard.
“I needed to communicate better [on the field] and just be confident in myself. Once I learned the plays, it made being on the field that much easier,” Thomas said.
West said that Thomas’ small size shouldn’t be taken completely at face value, as ISU’s receivers have found during practices and scrimmages.
“He just needs reps and he needs to understand the defense, but he’ll get it done because he’s a good athlete” West said. “He’s quick and aggressive for his size. When he knows where to go and what to do, he’s aggressive, he’ll come up and hit you and you’d be like, ‘Wow, the little guy hits like that?’”
Thomas hopes he gets an opportunity to contribute to the Sycamores’ cause and is relieved to have Katrina further in his rear view mirror.
“We lost last week, but we played with [Purdue]. We should be able to build on what we did and get better,” Thomas said.
I I I
n Hooper injured in practice: Indiana State kicker Kyle Hooper injured his left ankle on the last snap of Wednesday’s practice.
Hooper was practicing field goals, when an ISU defender rolled into his plant leg after the ball had been kicked. Hooper fell down on the Memorial Stadium turf, writhing in pain.
He assisted off the field, was treated on the sideline, but had to be carted to the ISU locker room. His left ankle was taped.
At press time, there is no word of his status for Saturday’s game at Eastern Illinois or beyond.
Hooper has been one of ISU’s most consistent players in recent years. He made 71.4 percent of his field goals in 2005 (including a career-high 47-yarder) and has a lifetime field goal percentage of .729. He has never missed an extra point. He was a Gateway Football Conference Honorable Mention selection in 2005 and was named a Preseason All-American by CollegeSportsReport.com.
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One year after Katrina, Indiana State corner happy to be playing
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