CHARLOTTE, N.C. The poster child for hang-in-there, keep-your-chin-up, you'll-get-your-chance and all those other bromides coaches toss at bench-warmers like so many bounce passes will begin tonight's East Region semifinals with his posterior planted firmly on a chair -- Quentin Thomas' standard pose for all but 10 occasions since he hit campusball and reality four years ago.

Except this isn't a downbeat story.

Fact is (not to be sappy here), it smacks some of triumph. Sure, it's easy to get cynical about college basketball, what with its one-and-done hotshots auditioning for The League and its millionaire coaches preening on the sideline and its street agents and corporate tentacles and all that loot within reach of sticky fingers.

And then you have guys like Quentin Thomas. Who did hang in there. Who did keep his chin up. Who did get his chance this season, filling the void at North Carolina created when point guard Ty Lawson went down with an ankle sprain and coming through like a champ.

Thomas started nine straight games during that February/March stretch. He played major minutes, made significant contributions. The Tar Heels went 8-1. Now Lawson is back in gear and Thomas has returned to backup status. And a lesson is there for the learning.

"A lot of kids who are seniors and haven't played all that much -- at that time in their lives, they're just coasting," said UNC assistant coach Joe Holladay. "Not Quentin. He kept himself ready to play. Without Quentin, we wouldn't be here. He deserves it. There's no negatives about him."

There were setbacks, though. Plenty of them. Thomas was plagued by foot and knee injuries. He was turnover-prone. He was three time zones from his Oakland, Calif., home, confidence shaken. Bobby Frasor arrived in Chapel Hill his sophomore year and Lawson the next. Thomas receded into the shadows -- got only 164 minutes total last season. But never pouted. Just hung in there.

"I feel blessed 'cause of where I've gotten to and what I've gone through," Thomas said. "I tried to stay positive. I talked to my mom and dad every day. They were always telling me to stay in there, persevere. At times it was hard for me to say I'd make it through, but I made it through. It made me a stronger individual."

It made UNC a better team. Frasor was lost for the season in December with a knee injury. When Lawson got hurt Feb. 3, no one knew how Thomas would respond ("There was definitely a lot of doubt out there," conceded Marcus Ginyard). But Thomas blossomed. Teammates rallied around him, got sharper. The Tar Heels began a winning streak that's stretched now to 13.

For which Quentin Thomas -- once a prized recruit, then a straggler, now a factor -- shares in the credit.

"What he's done is revert to playing like he did in high school," Holladay said. "You're going to get some behind-the-back dribbles and some spinning into the lane and some funky passes, but that's Quentin. He has some skills. He just made you nervous earlier 'cause he wasn't getting the playing time, and when he went in there he was a little stressed and a little tight."

Now he's a little relaxed, a little redeemed.

"It's just like life," Thomas said. "Things aren't always going to go like you want them to go. They're not going to go smooth sometimes. I told myself I had to be ready for anything. If I would've had a negative mindset, I wouldn't have been able to help my team."

Or himself. Want to know what to tell your kid when he's mopey and discouraged and doesn't think things are panning out for him? Here's a model.