Quentin Thomas' Championship Stat Line

1 minute, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1 foul

I'm glad to find out that he did in fact play in the 2005 championship game. That's quite an accomplishment in itself. He has come such a long way since then, and I'm very happy for him. He reminds me a lot of a couple of other players who went from goats/unknowns as freshman to heroes/fan favorites by their senior year:

Jackie Manuel: I remember fans being terrified every time he had the ball on offense back when he was a freshman. He learned to pick his spots and contribute offensively, and defensively, he was the official shut 'em-down type. By his senior year, everyone loved him for his relentless work ethic and defense, and he became such a fan favorite that he had his own pirated t-shirt line, "Jackie Manuel has a Posse."

David Noel: So he was never really a goat, but he was a mostly unknown role player for his first three years, who did a good job fitting in and didn't mess things up. Although never an offensive juggernaut, he was a good defender, averaging 16.9 minutes per game and 3.9 pts during his junior year, and playing 20 minutes in the championship game. He senior year he was thrust into the spotlight as the returning leading scorer from the championship team. Although many didn't even expect the team to make the NCAA tournament after losing its top seven scorers, Noel led this team of freshman and walk-ons to a memorable season, going 23-8, including ruining JJ Reddick and Sheldon Williams' senior night in Cameron. The Heels reached the NCAAs, but were upset in the second round by eventual Final Four Cinderella George Mason.

Byron Sanders: Sanders was similar to Manuel in that he wasn't very skilled offensively, but he made up for it in heart. Sanders was thrust into a starting role in his freshman year after Sean May broke his foot, but replacing Sean May is a huge task and fans were a little disappointed and frustrated. Nonetheless, Sanders worked hard and improved over the years. He never quite gained the same minutes in his senior year as others on this list, but he did have some memorable moments, including posting up and nailing 2 shots in the 2006 Senior Night upset at Duke. By his senior year, he had his own crowd chant every time he hit a shot in the Dean Dome: "By-ron Sand-ers!"

Among other recent players, I considered putting Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller on this list, but didn't mostly because their careers followed a slightly different trajectory. Statistically, both peaked in their junior years on the 2006 team, but then had to make way for Lawson, Ellington, Thompson, and Stepheson during their senior years in 2007. Had they played the same minutes their senior years, they probably would have shown continued improvement. Also, they weren't upsetting fans with their play in the beginning of their careers, they were just little-used due to the high levels of talent on those teams. So, they didn't quite remind me enough of Thomas.

All right, all of these comparisons are a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea: Work hard, be humble, and good things will happen.