Zachary Ryan Thomas (born June 21, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Bucknell University.
![]() Thomas with VL Pesaro in October 2019 | |
No. 3 – Norrköping Dolphins | |
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Position | Power forward |
League | Basketligan FIBA Europe Cup |
Personal information | |
Born | (1996-06-21) June 21, 1996 (age 26) Maplewood, Minnesota |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Listed weight | 103 kg (227 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | Oakdale (Ijamsville, Maryland) |
College | Bucknell (2014–2018) |
NBA draft | 2018 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2019 | Okapi Aalstar |
2019–2020 | VL Pesaro |
2020–2021 | Budivelnyk |
2021 | Wilki Morskie Szczecin |
2021–2022 | Bisons Loimaa |
2022–present | Norrköping Dolphins |
Career highlights and awards | |
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A 6'7" power forward, Thomas came to Bucknell from Oakdale High School in Ijamsville, Maryland. Thomas had a standout career at Oakdale, ultimately becoming the all-time leading scorer in Frederick County history and the first player to eclipse the 2,000 point mark.[1] He selected Bucknell based on their basketball success and academic reputation.[2]
Thomas worked his way into the starting lineup in his sophomore season, then enjoyed a breakout season as a junior in 2016–17. He averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, and was ultimately named to first-team All-Patriot League alongside classmate Nana Foulland.[3] In the 2017 Patriot League tournament, Thomas led the Bison to the league title, scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the title game, earning Most Valuable Player honors.[4][5] With the win, the Bison advanced to the 2017 NCAA tournament, where they lost to 4 seed West Virginia in the first round.
Thomas entered the 2017–18 season as a preseason All-Patriot League selection.[6] Additionally, he was named to the Lou Henson Award mid-season watch list.
On February 26, 2018, Thomas was named Patriot League Player of the Year.[7]
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Thomas was later included in the 2018 NBA Summer League roster of the Utah Jazz.[8] On July 27, 2018, Thomas signed with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium.[9] After a successful year playing in Belgium, Thomas was brought into the NBA Summer League once again, this time to play for the Houston Rockets.[10]
On July 17, 2019, he signed with VL Pesaro of Italian Lega Basket Serie A.[11] But due to the coronavirus pandemic in Italy and the suspension of the Italian league,[12] Thomas left the team on March 10.[13]
On October 13, 2020, Thomas signed with BC Budivelnyk in Ukraine.[14]
On January 6, 2021, he signed with Wilki Morskie Szczecin of the PLK.[15] Thomas averaged 6.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. On September 6, he signed with Bisons Loimaa of the Koripallon I-divisioona.[16]
Patriot League Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
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