Senior duo bids farewellBy Francis X. Bova III
Basketball players Nicole Thomas and Chenara Wilson walked off the court for the last time after a 69-50 Horizon League Tournament loss against University of Illinois-Chicago March 7.
The 6-foot-2 senior post players will not only be missed on the court for the green and white, but off it as well.
“When I came in this team faced some rocky roads,” coach Kate Peterson said. Peterson’s first year as head coach was an 11-18 output in 2002-03.
A year later Thomas, a San Antonio native, transferred from Garden City (Kansas) Community College debuting Nov. 19, 2004 against the University of Virginia.
The next season Wilson, a Cleveland native, who previously played at Xavier University and Lakeland Community College, joined the team.
The combined record during the women’s first seasons was 8-49.
“Chenara and Nikki truly learned a lot during that process. They made sure on and off the court that the team stayed united,” Peterson said.
In their senior year, the Vikings matched the win total of the two previous seasons combined.
The team finished 8-22 overall, with eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster, including Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Kailey Klein.
Thomas led the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game, finishing second in the Horizon League in the category, and started every game.
Wilson was consistent all year off the bench and together the two seniors were high percentage shooters.
“They were good role models not only in the way they played the game of basketball, but in their overall work ethic,” Peterson said,
“Niki has such a great personality and exerts so much energy into her personality. At the same time, Chenara was like a mother figure. She made sure everyone was taken care of and that all the players were making good decisions.”
Wilson was an integral part of a 57-54 upset of UW-Milwaukee on Feb. 15. She matched a career-high of 18 points, while Thomas hit a clutch free throw with 35 seconds remaining. But the highlight of the season for the dynamic duo was a dominating effort on Jan. 6.
Thomas finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals and Wilson added 18 points and two blocks in an 80-57 rout over Loyola.
“The two of them brought so much more than what people read in the box score,” Peterson said.
Thomas graduated in December and is planning on getting her master’s degree from CSU, and Wilson has one more year of school.
“[Wilson] loves it here, her family is here, and I think she might know every person in the whole city,” Peterson said.