UH hoops forward Thomas will return
STAR-ADVERTISER
UH Rainbow Warrior Mike Thomas went up strong against UC Irvine Anteater Mamadou Ndiaye and Alex Young during a Feb. 20 game at the Bren Events Center. Thomas became the first member of the Big West champions’ junior class to announce he will return next season.
Hawaii basketball forward Mike Thomas became the first member of the Big West champions’ junior class to announce he will return next season.
Thomas posted “I am coming back next year.” on his Twitter account today.
His announcement comes on the heels of decisions by the team’s top two scorers, Stefan Jankovic and Aaron Valdes, to turn professional rather than return for their senior season.
Thomas will be the only returning starter for coach Eran Ganot next season as UH grapples with a postseason ban by the NCAA. Thomas started all 34 games in 2015-16, averaging 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. He was fifth on the team in total points scored and second in total rebounds, and will be the top returner in both categories.
He capped off the season in strong fashion, going for 19 points and 11 rebounds against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament. It was his second career double-double.
The Woodland Hills, Calif., native was never a first or second option on offense, but thrived on efficiency. He shot 52.1 percent from the field, second on the team only to Jankovic’s 54.3 percent.
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33 responses to “UH hoops forward Thomas will return”
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that’s Aaron Valdes in the picture.
now they changed the picture, sheesh…
Nope, #25 was “The Rock” Mike Thomas. I am super thrilled to hear Mike is coming back. He is a worker on the court!
His improvement last year was super.
I know, the original pic was incorrect.
OK, give you credit for spotting it. On another note it’s great that Mike Thomas is coming back. The one thing I keep noticing is his personality is so Hawaii,
Finally, some good news! He could very possibly make this team his own next year.
I second that!
Thank you Mr. Thomas. Looking forward to you providing leadership for the team next year.
Thank you Mike Thomas. We will win the regular reason Big West Championship and you will be an All Big West First Teamer. I am confident the post season ban will be lifted, otherwise the NCAA will look foolish after we win the regular season, and they wouldn’t want that, actually they often do look foolish.
Again, thank you Mike Thomas. I will enjoy watching you in 2016/2017.
Go Bows!
If Mike can play night in and night out like he did against Maryland, there’s no question he will be an All Big West First Teamer.
Thomas found his niche mid-season whereby he became a force on the glass and cut down on his offensive charging fouls.
he also controlled his fouling in most of the games and not having to sit on the bench.
Yes, and his free throw shooting %.
Go MT, Mr. Thomas!!! Awesome news to hear that you are returning next year to Hawaii’s B-Ball Team!!! A huge Mahalo to you for your continued contributions to our program.
Great news!
Thomas has improved every year and I expect that he will not disappoint anyone next season.GO BOWS!!!
He will be a superstar, improving his pro chances!
Thank you Mike!
Kudos to Mike for sticking by his school. He was among the most improved players this year and should be the cornerstone for the future. Now it’s up to the coach to recruit and surround him with other players that allow his growth to continue and not be the one player that other teams build their defense around.
For freshmen, might only have until this month to sign and one site shows 1 open offer who probably won’t sign. Going after 2 JUCO since probably desperate, might have a shot at a so-so big but the other probably won’t also sign. Ganot has had problems recruiting since last year.
Recruiting into a program under sanctions (unjustly harsh ones) can’t be easy.
Great news!
Thanks for staying. We will look forward to watching your continued growth.
Thank you Mr. Thomas! A true warrior!
Mahalo Mike sound decision and go get your degree.
Big Mike Thomas, now the big man on campus. Mahalo!
Why is he returning is a mystery in itself, even if they do by some sort of miracle win the Big West they won’t be able to advance in the NCAA tournament, at least if he went to a different school there would be no restrictions, I guess he is trying to prove a point that he is really loyal to the University.
Whatever his reasons are, I commend him. Mahalo sir for giving back to the school and community even though you could have left.
It is a mystery why you would make such a comment. He made a commitment to his education and basketball. This is just part of the journey. I think his decision is very sound. He has never struck me as someone who only thought of himself during the course of his career.
So what’s the problem with returning. It’s almost guarantee he’ll have a lot of playing time next year than if he transferred to a new school.
Mike was the Blue Collar hard worker of the bunch. With this move, he has pretty much secured his future in getting some real good jobs in Hawaii when basketball is over. Well played!
Right on Mike! Loved how you play the game you are awesome! We will be back to support the team next year, sanctions or not!
Glad Mike Thomas is returning. Will be a different looking team next year and Mike T. can give some needed leadership. Bring in a couple of JUCO (forward/center) type players and we should be ok for next year. Let’s Go Bows !!!
If I could be like Mike. Jingle jingle