In the fifth overtime of last night’s game, after UConn’s A.J. Price scored the first four points of the session, and Eric Devendorf was called for his fifth foul, Jim Boeheim looked down his bench and said three works to walk-on Justin Thomas before he entered the game: “Don’t be scared.”

As any kid growing up playing basketball in his driveaway, this is the moment you always dream of. Playing on America’s biggest stage, in front of thousands of screaming fans, against one of the best teams in the country, Thomas came through.

But don’t think he wasn’t ready. Back in high school, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior from Loyola H.S. in Los Angeles used to go toe-to-toe with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars like UCLA’s Darren Collison and Oregon’s Bryce Taylor. In fact, before a series of injuries in his final two years of prep ball, Thomas was getting D-I scholarship offers from mid-major schools like Pacific, UC-Davis and Loyola-Marymount, and looks from Pac-10 programs.

But fast forward to 2009. Having only appeared in nine games this year, playing a total of 21 minutes, Thomas made the most of his moment. Other than two field goals, two personal fouls and two turnovers, JT’s stat line this season was full of zeroes. But last night, in the biggest game of his life, Thomas grabbed a board, blocked a shot and got a W in seven huge minutes of play.

All this for a guy who tried walking on to the team his freshman year but didn’t make it, and finally earned his roster spot following a preseason tryout his sophomore year. Amazing.