Kellen Thames – HS Athlete of the Week

There have been a lot of tremendous athletes that have walked the halls of Pattonville High School, but the Pirates have a young man that may turn out to be one the best to play the game of basketball.

After setting the school’s scoring record last week, Kellen Thames is our HSSC/Scoops with Danny Mac Student-Athlete of the Week.

Thames set the Pirate’s scoring mark that Darrow Washington set back in 1977. That is a 45-year record that no one has been able to touch.

“It is surreal to me,” stated Thames. “I did not even know that I was close to the record until the game. I did not know I broke it until I was taken out of the game in the third quarter after we got a big lead. It was the next day that I found out how long he held it. It is something that I know that I will have for a long time.”

 

Kellen now has scored 1,540 points in his career while averaging 22 points a game this season and is now looking forward to taking his talents to Chaifetz Arena to play for St. Louis University next year.

“SLU has always been there since the beginning of my recruiting journey,” said Thames. “SLU has always been the best bet for me between the atmosphere, the coach, and the guys on the team, it just felt like home to me. I am ready to start my career there.”

He is also excited to play with some of the guys that he has played with over the years in the summer and to continue the Billikens winning ways.

“Some of the guys I have known for years from playing on AAU teams and with Bradley Beal Elite, so just watching them while I was growing up and being able to play with them next year is going to be fun,” stated Thames.

Thames has also had the chance to play for his father, Kelly, who had an outstanding career at the University of Missouri. This is a unique situation for this young man, as he had a chance to play on the court at Mizzou Arena in the Norm Stewart Classic earlier this year.

“It felt really good to play there,” said Kellen. “There was a lot that went into it with my father having an incredible career there and to play and win is a great achievement.”

Sometimes, playing for your father can be a very tough experience. But for Thames, it was something that he will never forget.

“It is great,” stated Thames. “He is not going to sugarcoat things and tell me the things that I need to work on no matter what kind of a game I had. He helps in keeping me humble and helping me keep myself in a way that I need to keep getting better throughout the season.”

Kelly Thames is very thankful that he has had the opportunity to coach and watch his son perform at such a high level and how his son has grown on the court and as a young man.

“I always tell everyone that I have the best seat in the house on game nights,” stated Kelly. “Watching your son through four years, coming in as a freshman at 5-9 and seeing him at 6-6 and almost 200 pounds has been amazing. To see his growth both physically and mentally both on the court and as a person is the main thing I wanted.”

The one thing that both father and son said is that once they get home, Pattonville basketball is rarely talked about. It is all about family time.

“It is hard,” laughed Kelly. “As soon as we get in the car if we are riding together from a game or practice, I’m a dad and it has been working out over the past four years. Now, that he is getting ready to graduate, I can be a dad for real. I am excited to watch and cheer for him as he continues to mature and grow as a young man. I can’t wait for that to happen.”

Kellen is also getting things done in the classroom as he has a 3.6-grade point average at Pattonville and is still working on what his major is going to be at SLU.

Congratulations to Kellen Thames, our HSSC/Scoops with Danny Mac Student-Athlete of the week!