HBCU coach becomes D1 assistant
An HBCU coaching standout is making the leap to Division I. Delano Thomas, who recently led Florida Memorial University to national success, has joined the men's basketball staff at High Point University for the 2025-26 season.
Thomas arrives at High Point after a two-year stint at Florida Memorial, an HBCU in the NAIA ranks. From 2023 to 2025, he compiled a 47-15 overall record and guided the team to a 2024 Sun Conference Tournament championship and national tournament berth. His success at FMU built upon a remarkable coaching journey that began at his alma mater, Shawnee State.
At Shawnee State, Thomas engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in small-college basketball history. After taking over in 2017, he led the Bears to a 31-2 record in the 2020-21 season, culminating in the program's first-ever NAIA national championship. The Bears captured the Mid-South regular season and tournament titles during that run, with Thomas earning national honors including NAIA Coach of the Year and the Don Meyer Coach of the Year Award.
In total, Thomas has coached multiple All-Americans and sent nine players into the professional ranks, including one currently in the NBA G-League. His reputation for player development and program-building has been firmly established in the HBCU and NAIA coaching communities.
Thomas also brings international experience to the Division I ranks. After starring at Shawnee State from 2002 to 2004-where he remains the school's all-time leader in blocks and rebounds per game-he played professionally for nine years in six countries. His coaching career also includes successful stints in Norway and Uruguay at various youth and high school levels.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, and a 2017 Shawnee State Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Thomas now begins a new chapter in High Point with his wife and two children, continuing a basketball journey rooted in HBCU excellence and international experience.
The post HBCU coach becomes D1 assistant appeared first on HBCU Gameday.
Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
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