Thomas Named Illini Cage Assistant
April 3, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 31, 2000
Former University of Minnesota assistant coach Derek Thomas has been named assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Illinois, it was announced by Head Basketball Coach Lon Kruger earlier today. Thomas replaces Robert McCullum, who accepted the head coaching position at Western Michigan University two weeks ago.
"Derek is a quality individual who is highly respected throughout the coaching profession," said Kruger. "He has very good knowledge and awareness of the game of basketball and will be a very good fit for our program."
Thomas spent one season as an assistant coach under Dan Monson at Minnesota after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at St. Louis University. Thomas was instrumental in the recruitment of the Billikens' 1997 recruiting class which was ranked seventh nationally by Basketball Weekly magazine and was headlined by McDonald's All-American and current NBA standout Larry Hughes. Two years ago, Thomas was rated the fourth-best young assistant in the nation by Hoop Scoop magazine.
At Minnesota, Thomas coordinated Gopher recruiting efforts, worked with post players and oversaw defensive schemes. Thomas is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he was a standout player for the Rivermen, captaining the team to the 1988 NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen" and earned all-conference honors. At UMSL, Thomas earned a number of academic achievement awards and was president of the local Phi Epsilon Kappa fraternity.
"I'm excited about the opportunity at Illinois and really pleased to continue working in the Big Ten Conference," said Thomas. "I'm all about playing winning basketball and I'm excited to work within Coach Kruger's program, one that could do some real damage in the league and NCAA Tournament in the coming years."
Thomas began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater in 1988-89, joining Charlie Spoonhour's staff at Southwest Missouri State where he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant. He spent the 1991-92 season as an assistant coach at St. Louis University before assuming the head coaching position at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, a post he held for three seasons. In 1994, Thomas led Christian Brothers to the Metro Catholic Conference and district titles and was named coach of the year. In 1995-96, he rejoined Spoonhour as a member of the Billikens staff.
The Kansas City, Mo., native attended Hickman Mills High School there where he was an all-metro and all-state selection. He still holds the Hickman Mills single-game scoring record of 42 points. Following graduation, he attended Johnson County Community College and was an All-Jayhawk East selection in 1986. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Missouri-St. Louis and a master's degree in educational administration from Southwest Missouri State.
"I've known Coach Kruger since he was at Kansas State, working at his camps and learning from him," said Thomas. "When I decided to get into coaching, Lon was always very helpful, willing to make calls to help my career. I'm looking forward to building on our relationship and learning from a great coach."
Thomas is the son of Emmitt Thomas, a former defensive back for the
Kansas City Chiefs. He and his wife, Julie, have two children, Bailey and
Samantha.
The Thomas File
Born: Sept. 6, 1966
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
High School: Hickman Mills (Kansas City, Mo.)
College: Johnson Community College (1984-86),
University of Missouri-St. Louis (1986-88)
Coaching Experience:
1988-89 UM-St. Louis
1989-91 Southwest Missouri State
1991-92 St. Louis University
1992-95 Christian Brothers Academy (head coach)
1995-99 St. Louis University
1999-00 University of Minnesota
Personal:
Wife: Julie
Daughters: Bailey and Samantha
