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Tim “Ice” Harris has a tradition of passing out index cards to his players before every season. On them, he asks his players to write down their goals for the future.
It’s his way of getting to know his players better, something he made a point to do last year after coming back to the school he led to a state title in 2007 before a four-year stint at the University of Miami.
Matthew Thomas, who would become the team’s star linebacker, put down one goal — to help improve the life of his mother, who has never been able to watch him play.
“It’s motivation for me so one day I can make my situation better,” Thomas said. “She’s never been able to see me play because she’s always working and trying to help us.”
Thomas lives with his mother, Mariska, a Suriname native, his four brothers and one sister in Overtown. Mariska is a single mom who has been raising Matthew and his siblings while working long hours as a hotel housekeeper in South Beach for the past 10 years.
It has kept her from being able to watch Thomas’ meteoric rise to stardom during the past year and a half.
“She’s watched my highlights, and she knows how well I’m doing from what other people tell her,” Thomas said. “But she can’t make it because she works until late and then has to take the bus home sometimes because she doesn’t drive. But she supports all of us 100 percent.”
Thomas made his intentions clear from the moment Harris gave him an opportunity to shine as a junior last season. And he has made the best of it so far.
Thomas (6-4, 210 pounds), The Miami Herald’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, has become one of the most highly recruited linebackers in the country after leading the Tornadoes to the Class 4A state championship game a year ago.
Thomas is rated the top overall prospect in Miami-Dade County by The Miami Herald, No. 13 overall in the nation by ESPN and third in the state by Rivals.com. He has received more than 50 scholarship offers, including programs such as Alabama, USC, Florida State and Miami.
After a junior season in which he totaled 117 tackles and 13 sacks, Thomas continued to impress in the offseason. At “The Opening,” a Nike-sponsored 7-on-7 showcase in Oregon in July that featured some of the best high school football players in the country, Thomas had three interceptions in one game.
“Even watching film of him as an Optimist player you could see signs that he was going to be great,” Harris said. “He had the look of a tall and rangy kid that was strong and could make plays.”
But what has most impressed Harris since the day he first read what Thomas wrote on his card is his humility.
“A lot of these kids lead a difficult life not just getting things they want, but even being able to get things that they need,” Harris said. “Matthew is one that has stayed humble and has started doing the right things. For all the accolades that came his way in such a short period of time, he handled it pretty decent.”
It wasn’t easy for him at first, though.
Harris said Thomas did “just enough to get by” in school before last year and kept to himself mostly.
“Matthew wasn’t showing how smart he really was at first,” Harris said. “I think over time, he grasped what kind of opportunity he has to move his life forward for him and his family.”
Harris said Thomas improved his GPA to a 2.5 and already received a qualifying score of 20 on the ACT.
Although he has not decided where he wants to go to college, one of the schools he has mentioned plenty is Florida State. Thomas’ oldest brother, Jonathan, lives in Tallahassee and attends Tallahassee Community College. Thomas said he’s keeping his options open for now.
His current focus is to help Booker T. make it back to Orlando and win the state championship that slipped away against Jacksonville Bolles last season.
“Last year hurt a lot because we had a chance to do something great,” Thomas said. “We had to go back and look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we’re doing wrong. We are doing a lot of the little things more carefully this year.”
Thomas is one of numerous returning players that have Booker T. opening the season ranked as high as No. 9 nationally. Whether as a pass-rusher at defensive end or dropping back in coverage Thomas has shown he’s one of the most versatile defensive players in the state.
Thomas also played forward on the Booker T. basketball team and said he is a good swimmer as well. But football has been his love since he played Optimist football for Overtown.
His courage on the field is something he took from watching former UM and NFL star Sean Taylor growing up.
“[Taylor] played non-stop and had great instincts and wasn’t scared of anything,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ self-motivation is his greatest quality, however.
Driven by his determination to see his family and mother lead a more comfortable life, Thomas doesn’t let the accolades distract him from continuing to build toward what appears to be a promising future.
“Sometimes I stop and think and I feel blessed that I’ve been able to do the things I’m doing,” Thomas said. “Seeing my mom and my brothers, that’s what keeps me level-headed and makes me keep going.”
It’s his way of getting to know his players better, something he made a point to do last year after coming back to the school he led to a state title in 2007 before a four-year stint at the University of Miami.
Matthew Thomas, who would become the team’s star linebacker, put down one goal — to help improve the life of his mother, who has never been able to watch him play.
“It’s motivation for me so one day I can make my situation better,” Thomas said. “She’s never been able to see me play because she’s always working and trying to help us.”
Thomas lives with his mother, Mariska, a Suriname native, his four brothers and one sister in Overtown. Mariska is a single mom who has been raising Matthew and his siblings while working long hours as a hotel housekeeper in South Beach for the past 10 years.
It has kept her from being able to watch Thomas’ meteoric rise to stardom during the past year and a half.
“She’s watched my highlights, and she knows how well I’m doing from what other people tell her,” Thomas said. “But she can’t make it because she works until late and then has to take the bus home sometimes because she doesn’t drive. But she supports all of us 100 percent.”
Thomas made his intentions clear from the moment Harris gave him an opportunity to shine as a junior last season. And he has made the best of it so far.
Thomas (6-4, 210 pounds), The Miami Herald’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, has become one of the most highly recruited linebackers in the country after leading the Tornadoes to the Class 4A state championship game a year ago.
Thomas is rated the top overall prospect in Miami-Dade County by The Miami Herald, No. 13 overall in the nation by ESPN and third in the state by Rivals.com. He has received more than 50 scholarship offers, including programs such as Alabama, USC, Florida State and Miami.
After a junior season in which he totaled 117 tackles and 13 sacks, Thomas continued to impress in the offseason. At “The Opening,” a Nike-sponsored 7-on-7 showcase in Oregon in July that featured some of the best high school football players in the country, Thomas had three interceptions in one game.
“Even watching film of him as an Optimist player you could see signs that he was going to be great,” Harris said. “He had the look of a tall and rangy kid that was strong and could make plays.”
But what has most impressed Harris since the day he first read what Thomas wrote on his card is his humility.
“A lot of these kids lead a difficult life not just getting things they want, but even being able to get things that they need,” Harris said. “Matthew is one that has stayed humble and has started doing the right things. For all the accolades that came his way in such a short period of time, he handled it pretty decent.”
It wasn’t easy for him at first, though.
Harris said Thomas did “just enough to get by” in school before last year and kept to himself mostly.
“Matthew wasn’t showing how smart he really was at first,” Harris said. “I think over time, he grasped what kind of opportunity he has to move his life forward for him and his family.”
Harris said Thomas improved his GPA to a 2.5 and already received a qualifying score of 20 on the ACT.
Although he has not decided where he wants to go to college, one of the schools he has mentioned plenty is Florida State. Thomas’ oldest brother, Jonathan, lives in Tallahassee and attends Tallahassee Community College. Thomas said he’s keeping his options open for now.
His current focus is to help Booker T. make it back to Orlando and win the state championship that slipped away against Jacksonville Bolles last season.
“Last year hurt a lot because we had a chance to do something great,” Thomas said. “We had to go back and look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we’re doing wrong. We are doing a lot of the little things more carefully this year.”
Thomas is one of numerous returning players that have Booker T. opening the season ranked as high as No. 9 nationally. Whether as a pass-rusher at defensive end or dropping back in coverage Thomas has shown he’s one of the most versatile defensive players in the state.
Thomas also played forward on the Booker T. basketball team and said he is a good swimmer as well. But football has been his love since he played Optimist football for Overtown.
His courage on the field is something he took from watching former UM and NFL star Sean Taylor growing up.
“[Taylor] played non-stop and had great instincts and wasn’t scared of anything,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ self-motivation is his greatest quality, however.
Driven by his determination to see his family and mother lead a more comfortable life, Thomas doesn’t let the accolades distract him from continuing to build toward what appears to be a promising future.
“Sometimes I stop and think and I feel blessed that I’ve been able to do the things I’m doing,” Thomas said. “Seeing my mom and my brothers, that’s what keeps me level-headed and makes me keep going.”
