Maybe best described as a role player on varsity his junior year, Bablak blossomed as a senior at Warren Area High School.

From his buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the Brookville tip-off tournament to start the season to a Region 6 Second-Team All-Star nod to end it, Bablak transformed himself, and it wasn’t just about playing time, according to his coach, Jeff Berdine.

“Tom really worked hard to become a better player and even more important a better teammate,” said Berdine. “Thomas will be the first to tell you he had some ups and downs during his sophomore and junior years. He really wanted the opportunity to play in college and dedicated himself to become a better player. He put the time in on the court and in the weight room. I really noticed the change in his approach after his junior year. During the summer, I think Thomas realized this was one of his last opportunities to continue to play the sport he loves at the collegiate level. Talent is worthless without being a hard worker. He figured that out and pushed himself in open gyms, summer leagues… Pretty much anything basketball-related, he was there and put the work in to maximize his talent. Couldn’t be happier for him.”

Thomas was the program’s Sons of Italy Team MVP this year as well as the recipient of the Coaches Hustle Award, and he will be playing basketball as a freshman at Division III Westminster College.

Thomas Bablak

“I think sometimes in life, you’re not quite done,” said Thomas’ father, Bob. “I always thought he had the ability, but he was a late-bloomer.

“Life deals you certain cards,” said his father. “What you make of them tells you more about who you are.”

In this case, Thomas wasn’t ready to stop playing basketball.

He might have gained more confidence when he grew from 5-10 as a freshman to 6-2 as a senior. He also broke his leg playing basketball the summer after his freshman year, and “I wasn’t 100 percent until mid-January,” he said.

“It changed my mindset. Not being able to play all that summer, I was sad,” said Thomas.

Still, did he believe he was a college basketball player?

“If I’m being 100 percent honest, I didn’t think it was going to happen because I didn’t play much varsity until my senior year,” he said.

While he played on an AAU team every year after eighth grade, he committed himself after his junior year.

“I wasn’t going to let anything stop me,” he said.

He said that confidence was helped by working out over the summer with Jesse DeLoof and Gage Hendrickson of the Youngsville boys basketball team. DeLoof is head coach and Hendrickson a senior 1,000-point scorer — also on his way to Westminster College to play.

When Bablak was contacted by Penn State DuBois is when the light bulb went off that he could actually go to a school and play college basketball. As it turns out, Westminster head coach Kevin Siroki attended the Conneaut playoff game to watch Bablak and recruited him to Westminster.

Bablak scored 15 points that night in Warren’s 68-42 District 10 Class 4A win in Erie. He finished the season averaging 11.5 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 steals for the 15-win Dragons.

Bablak’s parents have been supportive of his college decision, which really came down to the right school for his education, not for basketball. The fact he could play basketball at Westminster, while at the same time earning a marketing degree, was icing on the cake.

“He’s been around sports his whole life,” said his father.

After playing ball with some of his best friends — Mitch Grosch, Drew Swanson, Avery Vazquez, and Ryan Rafalski — and in front of Thomas Lucks and Caleb Lindell in the Flannel Panel, Bablak was ready to make new memories.

He’s taken his own path to become a college basketball player.

“He wasn’t done yet,” said Bob. “We like what he’s turned out to be.”