Georgia’s maternal maestro

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, March 28, 2004

SEATTLE – Not all family ties are pulled together in tight little knots. Sometimes the relationship lines are blurred, like when a big sister takes on a mother-like quality.

Christi Thomas, a senior basketball player at the University of Georgia, has been forced into both roles recently – on the court and in her family life.

Ten months ago, at an age when many women are becoming mothers, Thomas became a first-time older sister. Her mother, Delores, had a son 20 years after the birth of her only other child.

During her senior year at Georgia, Christi Thomas has been thrust into a similar role.

She was originally scheduled to be one of two seniors, and six upperclassmen, to play with the Bulldogs during the 2003-04 season.

But teammate Tina Taylor suffered a season-ending knee injury in October, leaving Thomas as the lone senior. And then the Bulldogs kicked junior Kara Braxton, the leading scorer, off the team in February for repeated violations.

Suddenly Thomas found herself as the big sister to a group of talented freshmen and sophomores, while taking on a motherly role at the same time.

“They mess with me all the time and tell me I sound like a mom,” Thomas said of her teammates. “But these kids are great. They’re so mature and so confident that I don’t really have to take on that role all the time.

“It’s not so much mothering as it is preparing them. I guess it’s kind of like mothering, but it’s not like I have to beg them to do things.”

Thomas gives the young Bulldogs a maternal influence because of her experience on an inexperienced team. Georgia will square off against LSU in tonight’s NCAA West Region final with a starting lineup consisting of two freshmen, two sophomores and the 6-foot-5 Thomas.

“We’re young, literally, but we’re old at heart,” freshman point guard Janese Hardrick said. “A veteran team might have more experience, but our mindset is that of a veteran.”

As a senior, Thomas knew she would have to take on a leadership role, but not until February did it become apparent just how much the team would rely upon her. Braxton, who had twice been suspended for undisclosed violations during the season, was kicked off the team on Feb. 20.

While Braxton’s 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game have been missed, her release has brought out the best in the young Bulldogs.

“That kind of pulled us together,” said Rebecca Rowsey, a 6-foot-3 freshman who replaced Braxton in the starting lineup. “The chemistry on the team is really good, and I don’t know if (Braxton’s release) is why. It was a challenge to overcome because Kara is a great player. We all had to step up.”

Not that it has been all smooth sailing with the younger lineup. When a team gives regular minutes to two sophomores (guards Sherill Baker and Alexis Kendrick) and three freshmen (Hardrick, Rowsey and reserve forward Cori Chambers), there are likely to be youthful mistakes.

That was the case in Saturday night’s region semifinal, as Hardrick came out of a timeout late in the seconds half and got called for a technical foul for slapping the ball out of bounds. The call came with 1:53 remaining in the game and the Bulldogs trailing 62-59.

Hardrick came back and scored five consecutive points to tie the score at 64 before Kendrick hit the game-winner in the waning seconds.

Head coach Andy Landers blamed himself for the technical, saying that he had chewed out Hardrick during the timeout and therefore got her too riled up, but he added that things like that will happen to freshmen.

“It had everything to do with (Hardrick) being a freshman,” Landers said. ” (But) we would not be in the position we’re in if the freshmen and sophomores weren’t as exceptional as they are.”

With underclassmen making up the bulk of Georgia’s roster, Landers appreciates having a savvy veteran like Thomas around to keep things sane.

Her motherly influence comes in handy – whether she’s attending practice or visiting her family, who live an hour away from Athens.

“(Ten-month-old Corey) is probably going to consider me more of a mom than a sister,” Thomas said of her little brother. “It’s so much fun, but I’m glad it’s my mom right now and not me.”

Thomas said she got to spend three days with Corey during spring break, then cried when she had to go back to school. She expects to feel a similar emotion when it’s time to leave her unofficial family at Georgia.

“Because of all the things that we’ve been through, and all the heartache, it becomes another family to you,” she said. “They see you when you’re down, and they see you when you’re up. You really gain a love and appreciation for everyone on the staff – especially your teammates. I have no doubt that I’ll cry when it’s over.”

And the hardest part about seeing her college career come to an end?

“It kind of sucks that I’m a senior,” Thomas said, “because they are going to be so good.”