MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang added another key piece to his team on Sunday afternoon (August 21) with the signing of sophomore transfer Anthony Thomas (Silver Spring, Md./Olympus Prep Academy/Tennessee-Martin/Tallahassee [Fla.] Community College) to a Financial Aid Agreement with the program for the 2022-23 season.
A 6-foot-7, 180-pound combo guard, Thomas arrives at K-State after playing the 2021-22 season at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla., where he averaged 11 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in helping the Eagles win 21 games in one of the nation’s top junior college leagues – the Panhandle Conference. He played in 22 games with four starts as a freshman at UT-Martin in 2020-21, averaging 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
“Anthony is another great addition to our team, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to K-State,” said Tang. “We’re really pleased to add a player of his caliber this late in the recruiting season. We like both his size and skill set and think he will grow into a productive player once he gets around our elite staff. We can’t wait to get him to campus and in front of Wildcat Nation!”
Thomas will have three years of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas enjoyed a productive 2021-22 season at Tallahassee Community College, which boasted seven Division I signees. He ranked second on the Eagles in scoring (11.0 ppg.), while he was third in field goals (96) and 3-point field goals (27) as well as rebounding (4.6 rpg.). He scored in double figures in 15 games, which included eight games of 15 or more points and three 20-point outings. He twice scored a season-high 25 points, including against conference foe Pensacola State on Feb. 16 on 6-of-11 field goals and 11-of-14 free throws.
For the season, Thomas averaged 11.0 points on 42.3 percent (96-of-227) shooting, including 34.6 percent (27-of-78) from 3-point range, to go with 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while playing 25 games with 16 starts. He twice played against future teammate and JUCO All-American Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Harlem, N.Y./Urban Assembly School/Chipola [Fla.] College), who played at Chipola College.
Thomas began his college career in 2020-21 at UT-Martin, where he saw action in 22 of 24 games with four starts as a true freshman during an unprecedented season for the Skyhawks. In addition to navigating the pandemic conditions, Thomas and his teammates tragically lost their head coach Anthony Stewart right before the season on Nov. 15, 2020.
Despite the adversity, Thomas flourished as a true freshman, emerging as the team’s top freshman in 2020-21, ranking second in 3-point field goals (23) and fourth in scoring (9.0 ppg.), while connecting on 75.8 percent (25-of-33) from the free throw line. He became the first Skyhawk true freshman to start a season opener since 2013-14, playing 25 minutes against Evansville on Dec. 2, 2020. He went on to score in double figures on seven different occasions, going for 15 or more points on six of those occasions, including a pair of 20-point outings.
Among his best games was a career-high 24-point effort vs. SIUE on Jan. 30, 2021, in which, he became the first Skyhawk freshman to record a 20-point game against an OVC opponent since 2012. He connected on 9-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and went 3-of-3 from the line in 26 minutes. He also had 21 points at Belmont on Jan. 9, 2021, to go along with a career-high 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 22 minutes.
In all, Thomas averaged 9.0 points on 37.7 percent (75-of-199) shooting, including 30.7 percent (23-of-75) from 3-point range, with 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 24 minutes per game in 2020-21.
Thomas played his senior season at Olympus Prep Academy in Williamstown, N.J., where he earned NJHoops.com third team all-state honors for the independent/prep class in 2020. He played in over 40 games and events while playing the Great Atlantic Conference.
Thomas was rated as a three-star prospect out of Olympus Prep by 247Sports, ranking among the top-50 players at his position for the Class of 2020. He was recognized as one of the seven national standouts from the Hoop Group Fall High School Showcase in October 2019.
Thomas is the 10th player to sign with the Wildcats since Tang was introduced as the program’s head coach on March 21, including the second community college transfer following JUCO All-American Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Harlem, N.Y./Urban Assembly School/Chipola [Fla.] College).
Overall, Thomas is the 11th newcomer added to the team for the 2022-23 season. The class also includes seven Division I transfers – Cam Carter (Mississippi State), Jerrell Colbert (LSU), Abayomi “Baybe” Iyiola (Stetson/Arkansas/Hofstra), Keyontae Johnson (Florida), David N’Guessan (Virginia Tech), Desi Sills (Arkansas/ Arkansas State) and Tykei Greene (Manhattan/Stony Brook) – and two high school standouts – Dorian Finister (New Orleans, La./Carver) and Taj Manning (Grandview, Mo., La Lumiere School [Ind.]).
Season tickets for the 2022-23 home schedule at Bramlage Coliseum are currently on sale.
How to follow the ‘Cats: For complete information on K-State men’s basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
