Stacey Thomas is a thief. A good one. What she steals is the ball. From opponents. Which is one of the reasons her team, the Detroit Shock, is one game away from the WNBA championship at press time — after spending the previous season dwelling in the league’s cellar.

A product of Flint Southwestern Academy (are they putting something in the water in Flint to produce so many fine basketball players?), she attended the University of Michigan, where she set a Big Ten Conference career steals record. She also became the Wolverines’ all-time leading rebounder and fourth all-time leading scorer. In her fifth season as a pro, she has earned a reputation as a fierce defender.

She also has a fondness for banana pudding. As for her “Best Of” choices, the Somerset Mall tops the list of her favorite places to shop.

“I have long arms and am muscular, so sometimes it is hard to find shirts that fit,” she explains. “but I can always walk away with something I like from Somerset.”

One of her fondest memories of Detroit is attending the annual Thanksgiving Day parade as a kid.

“I always looked forward to that,” she says. “It was usually freezing cold, but the atmosphere was very exciting.”

Back to main index of Best of Detroit — A character study

Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com.