1,000-point milestone extra special for Lucas boys basketball senior Logan Toms

LUCAS — It was as uncomfortable of a moment as he has ever experienced on the basketball court.

Because the spotlight was all on him.

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On Saturday, Logan Toms scored 18 points in a 50-45 win over Mohawk in the Lucas Cubs' season opener. That latter was the only thing that mattered to him. But it was a moment during the game that really made him cringe. With his eighth point of the night, Toms became just the ninth player in Lucas boys basketball history to reach the 1,000-career point milestone. Play was stopped, an announcement was made, signs were held and Toms was put in the spotlight. Somewhere he has been during his four years at Lucas, but a place he doesn't particularly enjoy.

"Scoring 1,000 points is a lot more team-related than people realize," Toms said. "Whether it is other people attracting defenders off of me, Aidan Culler fighting for 10 extra rebounds a game, Zach Diehl hustling on defense to get a steal and pass it to me, there is so much more that goes into scoring 1,000 than just me scoring. I am thankful for their help."

It was a moment that he was also extremely thankful for. He joined Logan Niswander (1,335 from 2017-2020), Elijah Foss (1,321 from 1996-2000), Chris Iceman (1,216 from 1990-94), Pat Kelser (1,123 from 1955-59), Dave Harvey (1,080 from 1961-65), Craig Iceman (1,049 from 1988-91), Ethan Sauder (1,039 from 2017-21) and Andrew Booth (1,018 from 1981-85) as the only 1,000-point scorers in history. And joining those names is something Toms will never take lightly.

"It is awesome because a couple of those guys are people I grew up with," Toms said. "Ethan Sauder is a guy I played with and a lot of what I learned about basketball is because I either watched or played with a lot of those 1,000-point scorers. It is really cool to grow up seeing them do it and then to do it myself is surreal."

But what makes him even more thankful is the fact he got to do something that was robbed from his older brother, Riley Gossom. Gossom finished his career with 967 points and was well on his way to becoming the school's all-time leading scorer before a serious car accident the summer before his senior season caused him to miss nearly the entire season. He went into his senior season with 952 points after scoring 566 as a junior. But the accident caused severe injuries and he had just 15 points during his senior year on one leg.

So, Toms, who is a two-time All-Ohioan in basketball and football, will never take for granted his accomplishment.

"It means a lot because my oldest brother Riley wasn't able to make it into that club because of his injury," Toms said. "I don't try to think of individual goals like scoring 1,000, but it is a really cool thing to have. It is something I couldn't have done alone. It took a lot of great coaches and teammates along the way."

Toms had some injuries of his own along the way. Before his sophomore year, when he scored 303 points, he suffered a broken leg in Week 2 of the 2021 football season. He healed up in time to return to the court but wasn't 100% until about midway through the season. So, even though he started as a freshman, where he scored 218 points, it was expected he would score 1,000, but given his past experiences, he never etched it in stone.

"I didn't really expect it, honestly, it was just something that came to be," Toms said. "I kind of thought I was getting close last year and then Coach Iceman told me I was eight points away and it is hard to not think about when you are out on the court. I am glad it happened, it is over with and it is a blessing."

Iceman agrees.

"We kind of hoped and knew he was capable of doing that," Iceman said. "He had some injuries early on and you kind of think back to the situation with Riley and you never want to take any of it for granted. To be able to get there and do it and now have the rest of the year to see what he can do and where he will end up. He has a shot to be the all-time leading scorer and we will hope for that because we are going to need him to have a great year to win games."

Toms now sits 325 points away from the No. 1 spot on the all-time scoring list and after scoring 393 last year, he has a great shot to get there. Yet, it is the furthest thing from his mind, just like 1,000 career points.

"It's a cool accomplishment, but the great thing is, he doesn't care about it," Iceman said. "That speaks to what kind of kid he is."

And the kind of kid he is is just different. Whether it be compared to his older brothers, Corbin Toms and Gossom, or to other players in the program, Logan Toms is just different.

"Corbin doesn't ever shut up," Iceman said with a laugh. "Logan is so quiet. I can't believe how different they are. We started the game on Saturday and we weren't even thinking about the 1,000 points, but it was halfway through the first quarter and he hadn't even taken a shot. We were just like, 'OK, come on.' But he is such a let-the-game-come-to-me, pass-first kind of guy. He is just different than the guys I have had like Riley, Ethan Sauder, Logan Niswander, and all those guys. They could go out and get their shot, but Logan is just so different. He got his 1,000th point, but the reason we won is because he did a great job defending Mohawk's best player."

Which is where he would rather be. Out of the spotlight, playing great defense and leading his team to victories. A lot of victories. Saturday marked the 60th time Toms has won as a member of the boys basketball team as the Cubs are 60-18 with him in the lineup.

And when his team wins and shares the credit, that is when he is most comfortable on the court.

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lucas Cubs Logan Toms scores 1,000 career points as boys basketball player