KFDM COOP Posted March 25, 2008 Report Posted March 25, 2008 Tramain Thomas providing Gamble Game unique talent By Cody Pastorella The Port Arthur News Ever so often a blend of athletic talent and admirable qualities come together to make a truly special person. These people are rare gems who coaches, teachers, friends, foes, and family all respect and appreciate. It's that player on the field or court, who looks up at the scoreboard and sees losing by 10 with little time left as a fun challenge, rather than a lost cause. That person just smiles, takes the game over, wins and leaves the rest of us watching in speechless, screaming wonder. For East Chambers that person has been Tramain Thomas, a senior, do-it-all kind of guy. Thomas started making his impact for the Buccaneers even as a freshman and now, four years later, after a wall full of trophies and accolades and a football scholarship from Arkansas, there is very little this prep star has not accomplished. Perhaps the only thing left for him to do is star in the Port Arthur News/James Gamble Award game Friday night, then win the Gamble Mr. Outside Award Saturday night. Regardless the outcome of Friday 8 p.m. matchup between the Franchize All-Stars and the Gamble Award team, and regardless of who wins the Mr. Outside Award, Thomas' run as a high school athlete has been nothing short of "Tra"mendous. The 6-2 guard, quarterback and defensive back is a three-time all-stater in basketball and two-time all-stater in football. He has won MVP honors in District 24-2A in both basketball and football. Most recently, he won the Willie Ray Smith Defensive Player of the Year Award. He has been all-region this and all-region that. He has made the Port Arthur News Super Team two years in a row, and this is his second year as a Mr. Outside finalist. As a senior on the basketball court, Thomas averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and four assits. A quarterback/defensive back in football, the EC standout accounted for 35 touchdowns while rushign for 1,352 yards and passing for 863. Perhaps what's most amazing about all that Thomas has done is that he has shined in such a small town that is surrounded by bigger schools and bigger districts. But nothing has stopped this young man so far; and if you ask all the new Arkansas football fans in Winnie, it's unlikely that anything will stop Thomas anytime soon. Count Gamble among the believers. “I guess I just see what everybody else see,†said the Lincoln coaching legend. “He is what that old saying refers to about a coach’s dream and an opponent’s nightmare. “There is no doubt he has earned all the praise that’s come his way. Just from the little time I’ve spent with him on the court, it’s easy to tell that he is a tremendous athlete. He was on the team last year but was injured, so I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him.
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