Transfer Kayla Thomas carrying over 2024 finish to new adventure at State

Kayla Thomas found herself again last year on the basketball court.

A former top 100 recruit in the state of Maryland, the 6’3 Thomas played sparingly for Penn State for two seasons. The role was spotty early for Georgia Southern last year as well, but the end of the season saw things begin to change for Thomas.

After starting in nine of the last 10 ball games and producing in a big way, Thomas found an opportunity with Mississippi State this offseason. She’s carried over that mindset from the end of last season to her time in Starkville so far.

“I think of it as I pick up where I left off,” Thomas said. “Towards the end of the season, that was when everything clicked for me. Going into my senior year and now that I put everything together, that’s every day for me.”

Thomas’ final 10 games a turning point in her career

After averaging just 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in her first 22 games with just two starts, Thomas stepped in and started against Southern Miss on February 7. She finished that game with 22 minutes played and had six points and six rebounds, but it was the beginning of a strong finish.

In the final 10 games of the season, Thomas averaged 9.7 points and 6.1 boards while scoring in double figures five times. Her former coach, Anita Howard, was a big reason for her surge late in the year and now the two are reunited as Howard took an assistant coaching position with State in the offseason.

“It was the best thing that I could have ever done in my life,” Thomas said of her season at Georgia Southern. “Coach Howard is an amazing coach. I was in a drought when I transferred to her and she gave me her 100%. She poured into me and I feel like the payout was worth it. Now, I’m in a position where I want to give everything to her because she gave everything to me. It’s great to be coached by her for another year.”

Howard and Thomas are two of three new faces that came to Starkville from Georgia Southern as All-Conference guard Terren Ward transferred in as well. The Bulldog team and staff were rehauled in the offseason as Sam Purcell brought in 10 new players and an entirely new assistant coaching staff.

Despite the fresh faces, it’s a group that has quickly learned to love each other. It’s continuity that the Bulldogs will badly need to stay together against a really tough SEC this season.

“The first couple of months have been incredible, to say the least. We’ve done a lot of team building, figuring each other out on the court, learning what we like to do and what we’re good at. It’s been good,” Thomas said.

“It hasn’t been too hard to get used to. I started at Penn State and then went to Georgia Southern so I’m back at a level that I can play at. Now it’s just getting into the right headspace, getting my body where it needs to be, my mind, my mental and then the sky is the limit.”

Battle in the post creating depth for Bulldogs

The loss of Jessika Carter has brought opportunity to the Bulldog post players. Thomas is battling it out with a few young players as State will be putting some young players on the floor to go along with newcomer Thomas.

Quanirah Montague is one that has really impressed Thomas to this point. After flashing in moments last season as a true freshman, she looks to be a player to be excited about on this year’s roster.

“The competition from the posts has been phenomenal. Obviously, there’s Nir. She’s a sophomore, but age doesn’t mean anything. She’s obviously a great player and super athletic so she challenges me every day to be better and I challenge her to be better. Collectively, I think that’s how we’re going to be.”

As for Thomas’ role, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to help this team.

The goal for the post player is to graduate from Mississippi State with a degree Criminal Justice and follow through with a master’s in psychology with the hope of being a Forensic Psychologist one day.

First, Thomas wants to play out her basketball career with more after this season in Starkville. To do that, she’ll have to put all of her strengths to use this season.

“I feel like I’m very vocal. I also have a great memory and a pretty good IQ so I can make the right reads on plays. If I’m not open, maybe I can hit my partner on a high-low or if they’re not open, maybe I can kick it for a three.

“Then I feel like I’m a strong individual and use my body well in the post. Rebounds, blocks, talking, anything I can do to help the team win, I’ll do.”

If Thomas and her teammates are all on the same page in moving in the right direction, this team full of new faces could do big things.

The Bulldogs are coming off of a disappointing result to the season that included missing out on the NCAA Tournament and it’s only fueled the offseason. The preparation has been strong to get the team back to the Big Dance.

“We have a good team. By all means – we have an amazing team,” Thomas said. “Everybody on our team does different things and it all ties it together to the one common goal which is to win an SEC Championship. Everybody might not have the biggest name or the biggest ranking, but us collectively make us a great unit as a whole. Once we start playing, people will see that.”