Milwaukee native basketball player has NBA dreams

MILWAUKEE -- Trent Thomas has just turned 22 and life is good. The Milwaukee native returned home recently to play in the Fresh Coast Classic. He's a senior on a full basketball scholarship at Saint Leo University outside Tampa, Florida. Last year, Thomas was 1st Team All-Conference and led his team in scoring.

However, life wasn't always this way. Thomas' formative years were the worst of his life. His father died suddenly when he was just 12 years old. Thomas was devastated.

"He was a great father. It was unfair how he just left. I was just lost," Thomas said.

To deal with the hurt, pain and frustration, Thomas turned to basketball. As a seventh-grader, he played on an AAU team led by current Vincent High School coach Marcus Hines. Thomas was a raw talent, but it took time for his hoops dream and his relationship with Hines to blossom.

Because he saw something special in the young man as well as the player, Hines used the tough love approach to bring his talent to the surface.

Today, Hines and Thomas have forged a special relationship -- one that goes beyond player and former coach. 

"Trent didn't have a real father figure in his life. Me and him are always gonna have that bond," Hines said.

Thomas hopes to get a shot at playing in the NBA or overseas. He has added motivation to succeed -- helping his mother, whom he says did everything she could to make his life great. Now, he wants to give back to a person who has always been there for him.

A sociology major, Thomas plans to earn his degree and then earn a living playing ball. 

Thomas says he misses his late father every day, but in a sense, his passing has helped make his son strong and wiser.