Durbin Thomas commits to Lincoln Land Community College
By Fred Kroner
Durbin Thomas had a self-imposed time limit as she began to get consumed in her recruitment to play basketball in college.
The Mahomet-Seymour senior point guard didn’t set restrictions on when she would commit. Instead, the list of programs she would consider had to be located within a certain area.
“I made sure they were within three hours of home,” Thomas said. “I am very close to my family, and it’s important to me that they can come to some of my games and be there to support me.”
She wound up with more than enough options. Six universities wanted her to visit.
Three had made scholarship offers by the time she committed to nationally-ranked Lincoln Land Community College, in Springfield.
Throughout the process, Thomas took a systematic approach as she pursued a goal she had held for years.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to compete at the collegiate level,” she said. “When my freshman season ended, I made a highlight video.
“Shortly after, my mom and I sat down and decided what schools I was interested in. When the time was right, I sent an email, with my highlight video attached, to all the schools I had chosen. This was really when the concept of me playing in college became a realistic goal.”
As coaches made contact, Thomas followed up.
“When schools started to respond to my emails, we would set up a phone interview, and based on how the call went, we would schedule a visit,” Thomas said. “While I attended the visits, I was looking for a gut feeling that this is where I am supposed to be.”
She took visits to Eureka College and to Monmouth College before she journeyed to Springfield to check out Lincoln Land, whose coach (Chad Jones) is a former Danville Area Community College player.
“I got that feeling on my visit to Lincoln Land,” Thomas said.
Her visit took place on Sept. 2.
“I verbally committed on Sept. 3,” she said.
When you know, you know. She canceled the other three visits she had scheduled.
“I knew during the visit that Lincoln Land was where I was meant to be,” Thomas said. “It felt like home and I really liked Coach Jones’ coaching style and the girls on the team.”
For Mahomet-Seymour, Thomas’ role is primarily as a ballhandler and playmaker, but she can score when needed.
She had a high game of 29 points as a sophomore. That same year, she led the team in three-pointers.
For her varsity career, which is now in its fourth year, she is averaging nearly one three-pointer per game. The 5-foot-6 Thomas has played in 88 games and has drilled 79 three-pointers for the Bulldogs, who are off to a 4-1 start this season.
M-S coach Garret Risley said Thomas’ contributions extend far beyond the statistics line in the scorebook.
“Durbin would be a great addition to any team she’d go to that’s in need of a point guard,” Risley said. “She’s been a three-year captain and a three-year starter at the point guard position for good reason.
“All of the intangibles that make her so great will carry over to the next level.”
This season, Thomas is averaging 4.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
Though Thomas played soccer in grade school, she was positive her future was not in that sport.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to compete at the collegiate level,” Thomas said. “I knew in junior high that I loved basketball and was going to put in the work to play at the next level.
“I played soccer until freshman year, but even when I was younger, basketball has always been my passion and primary focus.”
To make her basketball dream become reality, Thomas started playing travel ball as a 10-year-old, years before she wore a Bulldog jersey.
She played for the Mahomet-Seymour Girls Basketball Association (a youth program in Mahomet), as a fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grader.
“The first AAU team I played for was Truth,” she said. “I started playing for them when I was 10 years old and stayed with them for three years.”
She then joined the Aristocrats for two years.
“The last team I played for was Heart of Illinois,” Thomas said. “I stayed with them my last three years of travel ball.
“This was when I really developed as a player. I have been a point guard my whole basketball career. In the rare chance that there are two point guards on the court, I can play shooting guard as well.”
Her commitment to basketball was solidified during her junior high years.
“I knew that I absolutely loved the game at a young age,” Thomas said. “Junior high basketball was when I knew that basketball was truly a passion of mine, and I was going to put in the work to play at the next level.”
After playing in 32 varsity games as a freshman, Thomas – and her teammates – were limited to a meager 16-game schedule as a sophomore due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her recruitment was in limbo, but not because the college coaches were unable to make contact for months.
“I sent out emails during COVID, but knew the recruiting process wouldn’t pick back up until after COVID restrictions were lifted,” Thomas said. “After the restrictions were lifted, I was able to visit campuses and meet teams and coaches.
“Covid didn’t necessarily affect my recruiting process, but with the extra year of eligibility that collegiate level athletes received, it did impact available spots. The process was what I expected, for the most part.”
All athletes who were in college during the 2020-21 school year were automatically granted an extra year of eligibility, no matter how many games they might have played during that truncated season.
Thomas had more than herself and her mother in her corner.
“My Heart of Illinois coach (Ryan Julius) reached out to the Lincoln Land coach, and sent him my highlight video,” Thomas said. “Shortly after, Coach Jones reached out to me and asked for a phone interview.
“It took about three weeks to officially schedule a visit.”
Then, it took just one additional day for her to accept the Lincoln Land offer.
Thomas wasn’t concerned that other offers might have been forthcoming if M-S came close to matching last year’s school-record 30-win season.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I know that I am going exactly where I am meant to go.”
She expects to contribute immediately with the Loggers.
“I see myself being a big part of the team, as long as I keep on working hard, work on my weaknesses, and adjust to the speed of the college game,” Thomas said. “I believe I handle and take care of the ball well, have a good shot, work hard on defense, and lead my team through adversity.”
She doesn’t plan to slack off in her future workouts.
“I feel as though I can grow and improve by showing up every day with a coachable and positive mindset,” she said.
As for the approximate 85-mile distance between Mahomet and her future home in Springfield, Thomas calls it “perfect.”
She added: “I am close enough to visit home whenever I need, but I am far enough to feel independent.”
Thomas plans on majoring in business and added, “I see myself working in a large company in the city 10 years from now.”
But, maybe not.
Her first dream is coming true with her college commitment, but there is another long-term goal that Thomas wouldn’t mind achieving as well.
“It was always a dream of mine to someday play in the WNBA,” she said.
