Long speeches were never Melvin Thomas’s go in eight superb seasons with the Wollongong Hawks.
Five years into retirement and Thomas still doesn’t need to hear the sound of his own voice too often.
But the man Hawks forward Glen Saville affectionately refers to as ‘Mumbles’ might be the club’s secret weapon in the fight to turn their season around.
An integral member of the club’s 2001 championship-winning team, Thomas dropped into Wednesday’s training session at the Snakepit, taking up coach Gordie McLeod’s invitation to conjure a few words of inspiration for his team.
Not surprisingly, the big fella kept it short and sweet.
But Thomas - whose less than muscular build belied his strength and athleticism - always preferred to inspire team-mates with his actions.
McLeod would’ve known he was unlikely to get a big pep-talk out of Thomas on Wednesday and is probably hoping his mere presence has a Midas touch effect on the Hawks ahead of Saturday night’s date with the Crocs in Townsville.
Veterans Saville and Mat Campbell were clearly happy to see their old team-mate stroll through the door in his distinctive gait.
‘‘Mumbles! What’s up?’’ Saville yelled across the court.
He happily carries a few more kilos around these days but Thomas still reckons he could show the Hawks a few moves.
So where does the 200cm southpaw from Alabama rank among Wollongong’s all-time greats?
Thomas arrived in Australia in 1992, forming one of the Hawks’ best ever import combinations with future NBA guard Doug Overton.
His initial four-year stint with the Hawks yielded averages of 25.5 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. He claimed five player-of-the-week awards and was named in the All-NBL First Team in 1993.
After separate stints with Sydney and Canberra, Thomas returned to Wollongong in 2000, helping the club win its one and only title a year later.
He signed with Cairns at the end of the 2003 campaign and retired in 2006 after 15 seasons.
Thomas claimed a hat-trick of club MVP awards with Wollongong from 1993-95, took the same honour in 2002 and shared the award with Saville in 2000.
He and Saville are the only players to win the club MVP trophy on five occasions.
If longevity is the barometer, Saville and Campbell probably get the nod as the Hawks’ greatest players.
But Thomas certainly isn’t far behind.
Some Hawks followers rank Thomas as the franchise’s top import if not the greatest player.
Norman Taylor might have something to say about that, given that he holds the club record for points in a single game (54).
How about 80s one-hit wonders Benny Lewis, Greg Lee May, Learando Drake, Gary Gaspard and Marlon Redmond?
Then there’s the 90s with Patrick Fairs, Butch Hays, Andre LeFleur, Clayton Ritter and Marcus Timmons.
If that’s not enough food for thought, where do Cortez Groves, Matt Garrison, Tywain McKee, Charles Thomas and last season’s NBL MVP Gary Ervin fit into the picture?
But good as they all were, the view here hasn’t really changed in 30 years.
The great Mike Jones (1981 NBL MVP) still sits at the top of the hill as the Hawks’ greatest import, narrowly above Overton (11 NBA seasons).
Let the arguments begin.
Email a friend