How Myers Park’s Thomas Vickery grew to become a top basketball recruit in NC

Gus Vickery didn’t think much about it at the time, but now they’ve become stories that are almost retold as prophecies.

In the early 2010s, Vickery liked going to the YMCA with his wife and then-2 year old son, Thomas. During one visit, they watched a basketball game in the gym. While there, Thomas grabbed a ball and taught himself how to dribble. One of the players stopped Vickery, observing how unusual that was for a toddler.

Then there’s a little, skinny Thomas at 7 years old, telling people his lifeplan: to play Division I basketball at Kentucky, then get drafted and play in the NBA. His father, recognizing how much it takes to play college basketball, urged Thomas to stick to his studies while encouraging him that anything is possible. Vickery can still hear Thomas dribbling a basketball on the hardwood floors, using walls and household objects to see how high he could jump.

“He was in love with basketball from the time he was 4 years old,” Vickery said. “Now, he played all sports growing up, and was always active whether it was swimming, tennis or just games. But he loved basketball.”

Now, 15 years after learning how to dribble , Thomas is becoming a high-profile recruit. Since transferring to Myers Park, the 6-foot-6 combo guard averages over 18 points and seven rebounds per game, helping his team to a 17-8 record. In conference play, he averages 23 points. The junior has received offers from several Power 4 programs, including Clemson, N.C. State, Tennessee, Virginia and Wake Forest. He’s the fourth-ranked recruit in North Carolina.

“As of late, he’s been playing really good,” Myers Park boys’ basketball coach Dory Hines said. “He’s been, in my opinion, the best player in our conference for this half of the season. To me, it’s just him being the best player. Every night, you got a chance to win. He’s one of our best players every night.”

Thomas experienced a breakthrough this summer after competing in the Adidas circuit with his AAU team.

Against elite programs, Thomas eventually made the top-10 for scoring accuracy, scoring efficiency and total scoring, forcing coaches and scouts to take notice.

“I’ve gotten a lot bigger and stronger since my freshman year,” Thomas said. “I’ve gotten a lot more athletic and versatile as a basketball player. I’m not just worried about catching and shooting the ball anymore. Kind of everywhere in my game has gone to a new level, especially last summer.”

Thomas Vickey’s development process

Vickery likes to describe his son’s underclassman seasons as an incubation period, a time Thomas spent growing into a different player.

Shooting and scoring was easy for Thomas, but he was on the smaller side. Before transferring, Thomas went to Christ School in Asheville. While there, Thomas learned about the other parts of basketball outside of scoring — defense, IQ, becoming more versatile.

Outside of practice, Thomas spent his sophomore year lifting weights five minutes from his house, working with a coach who often brought college players to training sessions. Thomas went from 170 pounds to 195, allowing him to manage his physicality and contact better.

At home, Thomas would often shoot around with his dad, playing knock out or 1-on-1 before he became too big for his father.

And as offers pile in, Thomas works to remember those training days and anchors himself to what matters most.

“I’m just not really worrying about anything else but winning games during the high school season right now,” Thomas said.

‘Speaking to the heart and the mind’

As Thomas grew up, Vickery worked to instill a certain mindset in his son, reminding him that short-term glory is still short-term. Vickery still sits down weekly and talks with his son.

Vickery tells Thomas that life is a long process and that he should always strive for excellence, even when he isn’t playing basketball.

“That type of speaking to the heart and the mind is something we’ve been doing since he was a little kid,” Vickery said, later adding, “We talk about how you build up your mental resiliency, and how you manage emotions and become more of a master of your thought, belief, feeling dictates your behavior.”

It’s part of the reason why Thomas can play the way he does. From dunking on somebody — his favorite part of the season so far — to showing his athleticism, he’s not focusing on the short-term.

Instead, Thomas is trying to satisfy the kid that dreamed of the NBA nearly a decade ago.

“All the focus really has been on the basketball season right now,” Thomas said. “So, just going out there playing the exact same way every single time, no matter what.”