Zach Thomas (basketball)


Zachary Ryan Thomas is an American professional basketball player who last played for VL Pesaro of Italian Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for Bucknell University.

College career

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. He selected Bucknell based on their basketball success and academic reputation.
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. 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. 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. 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.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Thomas was later included in the 2018 NBA Summer League roster of the Utah Jazz. On July 27, 2018, Thomas signed with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium. 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.
On July 17, 2019, he has signed with VL Pesaro of Italian Lega Basket Serie A. But due to the coronavirus pandemic in Italy and the suspension of the Italian league, Thomas left the team on March 10th.