Jackson State Tigers student manager Thomas Lee — known to many as “Snacks” — became a viral sensation on Tuesday when he put on a uniform and checked into the team’s senior night game against UAPB.
He hit a shot from looooong distance, and Tigers fans, the announcers and just about everyone else went nuts. And as they should, because student managers hitting shots is always a terrific moment.
The love and praise has come from far and wide. He was named the SWAC men’s basketball player of the week … and none other than Kevin Durant — who hasn’t been tweeting as much as he usually does lately — commented:
I see u snipe….đź–¤ https://t.co/OEYAo3sjAm
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 3, 2020
BREAKING NEWS: @GoJSUTigers deep range shooter Thomas “Snacks” Lee (@BigHomie_Tom) has been named #SWACMBB Player of the Week. The Jackson, Miss. native leads the league in social media views and is a legitimate scoring threat from virtually anywhere on the court #SWACHoops pic.twitter.com/xmY02y9oKq
— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) March 4, 2020
Snacks could turn into Snipe?
“It’s in the mix,” Lee told ESPN.
By the way, where did his nickname come from in the first place? From that story:
He became Jackson State’s team manager in 2015. Shortly after arriving, he started to bring Skittles and other candy to the locker room. Since he was the new guy and some of the players didn’t know his name, they just started to call him “Snacks.”
As for his reaction to the moment he’ll never forget, here’s what he told the Clarion Ledger:
“In my mind, I felt like I was on top of the world,” Lee said. “It did not feel real that I scored in an actual Division I basketball game.”
"We want Snacks!" When Jackson State team manager Thomas "Snacks" Lee finally got in the game, he did not disappoint. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/5P5YXembs6
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) March 3, 2020
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