"I love making my parents happy and they both really love watching me play so every time I play, I play my best for the both of them. Plus I'm just in love with the game," Thurman said.
Thurman has played on Varsity at Southeast since his freshman year. He didn't get to play much as a freshman, he started playing more his sophomore year. Thurman has shown an impressive season with stats that show that he is the third highest scorer in the city, with an average of 20 points per game. Thurman loves playing for Southeast, especially during the big games because he can show his passion to others.
"It just feels good when you have a lot of people cheering for you. I like playing in front of a lot of people," Thurman said, "I [am] very nervous in the locker room. But once I get out on the floor all of the nerves just go away and I just play basketball. I love that feeling."
Thurman is always looking to get better at basketball. He feels that his offensive game is his biggest asset, but knows he needs to get stronger. The standout Junior can score in many different ways Whether it is with his back to the basket, inside and out or facing straight up, Thurman has confidence he can put the ball in the hoop.
He has played for so many traveling teams that he can't count, but this past summer he played for Kansas City Pump ‘N Run. The team traveled all over the country for AAU tournaments. Thurman is constantly playing or practicing, he tries to practice every day but sometimes takes breaks on Sunday's.
"I work on everything. I feel like I can never be too good at something, so I'm always looking to improve myself in every way that I can," Thurman said. "I work had to better myself. I work to live my dream. And that's to be one of the best and to be the best you have to work. So that’s what drives me. I always try to work harder every day. Like if I work hard one day, the next day I try and work even harder."
Thurman takes the game seriously. He has fun but at the same time knows to keep working. He has done his best to get at the level he is at and works only to improve it.
"(I’m) Just always playing every day. Many many hours of practice. Waking up early mornings, going to the gym to shoot 500 jump shots a day. And I watch a lot of film of old NBA players and study their moves," Thurman said. "I'm just in love with the game."
