Mourning Thomas...
Our Nomos family mourns our Thomas and extends our deepest heartfelt condolences to the Katsaounis family and all who loved Thomas.
We hereby share the words for Thomas to be read at his funeral today, by Greg Kamansky, Head Coach of California Polytechnic at Pomona, NCAA Champion, and the coach whose offer Thomas had accepted and would be joining for his basketball and higher education.
A Letter to Thomas
Dear Thomas,
I have never met you face to face. I have only gotten to know you through face-time, zoom meetings, emails, and phone calls over the last year and a half. I was able to meet your wonderful family through a zoom meeting and was so impressed with who you were and the graciousness of your family that I offered you a full scholarship to attend Cal Poly Pomona University in southern California.
I have recruited thousands of young men over my 29 years of coaching and have never offered a scholarship to a young man without meeting him face to face. You were the first. The reason behind this was not only because you were a “large man”, but more important I sensed your hunger to be the best...the best basketball player, the best student, the best teammate, the best human being you could possibly become, and as I soon found out…the best son and brother you could be. You were so humble in our conversations yet driven with a passion in your voice. I made a promise to you that I would be there, ups and downs, in your journey to becoming the best and would lead you the best I knew how.
No one could have guessed at that time your journey wasn’t going to include basketball, but instead, it was trying to live just one more day at a time. With most people, they would have felt sorry for themselves, but with you, you showed the fight of a true champion, a champion I sensed from the first time we talked. You have and always will be an inspiration to me, as you will be for many people. I was looking forward to the day I could coach you in the game we love so much, but that wasn’t the plan for you. Now you will be coached up in heaven by the greatest Coach of them all, our Lord. He has decided he needed a 7’3” champion player for his team much more than I did.
May God Bless you, your amazing family, and all your friends and loved ones.
You will be missed.
Coach Greg Kamansky
Cal Poly Pomona University