By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

East St. John point guard Mechelle Thomas is rather soft spoken, preferring to let her play on the court do the talking.

But ask anyone who has seen her in action – they’ll tell you that her game speaks loud and clear.

From the day Thomas first stepped on the Lady Wildcats’ court as a freshman, she’s played at an incredibly high level. Selected All-State in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons, she appears to be on well on her way to a third straight selection as a junior.

She averages 21.6 points per game to go along with almost five assists and four steals. She leads the team in each category, as well as in foul shooting, at 81%.

But Thomas may not even know that.

“Not once in three years has she ever asked me how many points she’s scored, or what her stats look like,” said East St. John Coach Troy Giordano. “She only cares about helping her team win.”

That she has done consistently. Thomas, who has been rated by USA Stars as the top point guard in the state of Louisiana, and one of the top three in the south overall, has already led her team to a district championship, as well as back to back 27 win seasons (29-8 in 2005-06, 27-10 in 2007.)

She took up the game at nine years of age, and credits her father, Curtis, as being a huge influence on her ascension into the prep elite. Thomas says that he, along with Giordano, have pushed and inspired her to continue working and improving.

“They keep me focused,” Thomas said. “They push me to keep working in school, and after school. I’m constantly working on my game in practice and after it.”

She also credits one other major influence that’s familiar to East St. John observers.

“I grew up watching my older brother play, and I always wanted to play and be like him,” Thomas said of her older brother, Johnnie Thiel, the former Wildcats quarterback.

Thomas has a true point guard’s mentality. While many who possess her talent look to drive and score first, Thomas’s top priority is getting her teammates involved.

“I try to get the ball to everyone where they can be most successful,” said Thomas.

Giordano concurs, saying that at times, he even has to encourage her to look for her own shot more often. But he can’t find much to quibble with when it comes to her game.

“She plays defense, is so unselfish, can get to the rack, pull up for the jumper, shoot the three, and go right or left. She’s so versatile,” said Giordano. “She wants the big shot, she won’t shy away from it. And she’s not an arrogant player at all. She just wants to win.”

It’s been an adjustment for East St. John this season. While hardly sporting a losing record at 10-6, East St. John has only lost 15 games in the past two seasons.

The Wildcats surround Thomas and senior Christin Hildreth with a lot of youth in the starting lineup – two freshman and a sophomore, and Thomas has had to learn to mesh with their games.

The process is coming along well. Thomas praised the play of her young teammates, noting that at the beginning of the season, she didn’t expect the team to be where it currently is.

“I never thought our freshman would step up the way that they have this year,” said Thomas.

As for the remainder of the season, she sees no reason why this team can’t reach even greater heights than the two before it.

“I could see us being district champs, and making it to the final four,” said Thomas.