Athlete of the Week: Seth Thomsen
About halfway through his junior season, everything started to fall into place for Norwich forward Seth Thomsen. A freshman call-up to the varsity level, Thomsen had delivered perfunctory if not spectacular results through two-plus seasons.
Beginning with the Greene Holiday Tournament nearly a year ago to the day, Thomsen became a double figures fixture with his scoring and rebounding, and developed into Norwich’s most consistent all-around performer by season’s end.
Fast forward 10 months, and Thomsen is still producing consistent numbers, only better. He’s also a better leader, and the effects are being felt up and down the roster. “This being his fourth year on varsity, I see a huge difference,” said Norwich first-year varsity coach, Tom Collier. “He’s always been a quiet leader, but he’s more vocal this year. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but like the Merrill Lynch slogan, when he talks, people listen.”
If his teammates are listening, then everyone else must be watching with wonder. Thomsen is getting to the basket with such regularity, he’s making it look easy against difficult opposition. It’s all the product of a work ethic that is unmatched by any player in the Norwich program. “There is nobody who works harder than Seth Thomsen. No one,” Collier said. “The kids all look up to him. He’s the first one to the gym and the last one out. We have to kick him out of the gym.”
Thomsen is coming off a pair of double-doubles in scoring a rebounding totaling 40 points and 26 rebounds in leading Norwich to key STAC Central Division wins over Johnson City and Owego, and for the second time in as many years, he is our choice as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
The scouting report on Thomsen is that he is terrific at driving to the basket and finishing around the rim. The aim is to keep him on the perimeter and make him settle for jump shots, and opponents this season have typically started with a zone defense. Unfortunately, Norwich has led in most of its games, and one can only stay in a zone defense so long if it has any designs of a comeback.
Johnson City shed its zone defense midway through the fourth quarter in an effort to trim its deficit. That ploy backfired as Thomsen took over in the final minutes penetrating to the basket at will for easy finishes. When he didn’t finish, Thomsen was getting to the foul line. And Thomsen is hitting 79 percent of his foul shots through five games, so sending him to the foul line is not a great idea, either.
“Seth creates a huge mismatch for us when we’re on offense,” Collier said. “If you put a big guy on him, he just drives by. If you play him with a smaller guy, he just posts him up or kills him on the boards.
“On defense, he can also guard a guy who is 6-foot-5 (Thomsen is 6-foot-2) and do a good job with that, too, because of his strength and leaping ability. He is just a tireless worker on both ends of the floor, and that shows to our younger kids what you can be if you work at it.”
Thomsen was a ballyhooed entry to the varsity level as only the second freshman to make the varsity team over the past 20 years. He saw spot duty as a backup forward three years ago, became a key reserve as a sophomore, and thrust himself into a starter’s role last season. It wasn’t a meteoric rise to star status, but the fruits of that steady progression are coming to bear this season. “We knew he was a great athlete when he came to us, but what people don’t realize is that it is a process,” Collier said. “He came to us after playing JV at Unadilla Valley in eighth grade. There is a massive difference in speed and strength jumping from junior varsity to varsity, and he was also coming into a league with much better competition. (Seth) had some great role models his first two years in Vaughn Labor, David Carson, and Richie Bonney, and he really started to find his niche last year. Those three really helped Seth develop his game, and now he’s taking on that same leadership role for our young forwards, Storm Cook and Mike D’Abbraccio. Seth knows that part of his success can be attributed to the three guys that helped him, and now he’s helping our young guys. He knows what his role can be for our young guys.”
Thomsen is flourishing in that role where he not only sets the example for his teammates, but is assuming the same roles of Labor, Carson, and Bonney before him. “We’ve been fortunate to have so many good kids in our program, like Seth,” Collier said. “I really can’t say enough good things about him.”
Beginning with the Greene Holiday Tournament nearly a year ago to the day, Thomsen became a double figures fixture with his scoring and rebounding, and developed into Norwich’s most consistent all-around performer by season’s end.
Fast forward 10 months, and Thomsen is still producing consistent numbers, only better. He’s also a better leader, and the effects are being felt up and down the roster. “This being his fourth year on varsity, I see a huge difference,” said Norwich first-year varsity coach, Tom Collier. “He’s always been a quiet leader, but he’s more vocal this year. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but like the Merrill Lynch slogan, when he talks, people listen.”
If his teammates are listening, then everyone else must be watching with wonder. Thomsen is getting to the basket with such regularity, he’s making it look easy against difficult opposition. It’s all the product of a work ethic that is unmatched by any player in the Norwich program. “There is nobody who works harder than Seth Thomsen. No one,” Collier said. “The kids all look up to him. He’s the first one to the gym and the last one out. We have to kick him out of the gym.”
Thomsen is coming off a pair of double-doubles in scoring a rebounding totaling 40 points and 26 rebounds in leading Norwich to key STAC Central Division wins over Johnson City and Owego, and for the second time in as many years, he is our choice as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
The scouting report on Thomsen is that he is terrific at driving to the basket and finishing around the rim. The aim is to keep him on the perimeter and make him settle for jump shots, and opponents this season have typically started with a zone defense. Unfortunately, Norwich has led in most of its games, and one can only stay in a zone defense so long if it has any designs of a comeback.
Johnson City shed its zone defense midway through the fourth quarter in an effort to trim its deficit. That ploy backfired as Thomsen took over in the final minutes penetrating to the basket at will for easy finishes. When he didn’t finish, Thomsen was getting to the foul line. And Thomsen is hitting 79 percent of his foul shots through five games, so sending him to the foul line is not a great idea, either.
“Seth creates a huge mismatch for us when we’re on offense,” Collier said. “If you put a big guy on him, he just drives by. If you play him with a smaller guy, he just posts him up or kills him on the boards.
“On defense, he can also guard a guy who is 6-foot-5 (Thomsen is 6-foot-2) and do a good job with that, too, because of his strength and leaping ability. He is just a tireless worker on both ends of the floor, and that shows to our younger kids what you can be if you work at it.”
Thomsen was a ballyhooed entry to the varsity level as only the second freshman to make the varsity team over the past 20 years. He saw spot duty as a backup forward three years ago, became a key reserve as a sophomore, and thrust himself into a starter’s role last season. It wasn’t a meteoric rise to star status, but the fruits of that steady progression are coming to bear this season. “We knew he was a great athlete when he came to us, but what people don’t realize is that it is a process,” Collier said. “He came to us after playing JV at Unadilla Valley in eighth grade. There is a massive difference in speed and strength jumping from junior varsity to varsity, and he was also coming into a league with much better competition. (Seth) had some great role models his first two years in Vaughn Labor, David Carson, and Richie Bonney, and he really started to find his niche last year. Those three really helped Seth develop his game, and now he’s taking on that same leadership role for our young forwards, Storm Cook and Mike D’Abbraccio. Seth knows that part of his success can be attributed to the three guys that helped him, and now he’s helping our young guys. He knows what his role can be for our young guys.”
Thomsen is flourishing in that role where he not only sets the example for his teammates, but is assuming the same roles of Labor, Carson, and Bonney before him. “We’ve been fortunate to have so many good kids in our program, like Seth,” Collier said. “I really can’t say enough good things about him.”
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