Erik Thomas (born January 16, 1995) is an Argentine
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for
Abejas de León of the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He played college basketball for the
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...
, where in 2017 he was named the
Southland Conference Player of the Year.
Thomas was born in
Paraná,
Entre Ríos to an American professional basketball player and an Argentine mother. He starred at
Wesley Chapel High School
Wesley Chapel High School (WCHS) is a public high school in Wesley Chapel, Florida, United States. It is part of the Pasco County Schools district. The school opened on August 16, 1999.
, it is ranked 186th in Florida and 3,757th nationally. The ...
in Florida, where he was named the state Class A Player of the Year as a senior. He was lightly-recruited due to his small size for a
power forward and a torn ligament in his ankle, so he opted for junior college, enrolling first at
East Georgia State College and then at
Baton Rouge Community College
Baton Rouge Community College is a public community college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Established on June 28, 1995, the college settled into a permanent location in 1998. The campus consists of six main buildings: Governors Building, Louisian ...
. He ultimately committed to
to finish his college career. Thomas started for two seasons, and in
2016–17 he averaged 19.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, leading the Privateers to a
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it pa ...
championship and earning Southland Player of the Year honors.
Thomas spent the 2019-20 season with
Ferro Carril Oeste of the
Liga Nacional de Básquet, averaging 13 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. On July 14, 2020, he signed with
Soles de Mexicali of the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.
Thomas is eligible to play for the
Argentina national basketball team
The Argentina men's national basketball team (Spanish: ''Selección de baloncesto de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international basketball officially nicknamed ''The Argentine Soul'' (Spanish: ''El Alma Argentina''), and it is co ...
, having tried out for the Argentine U-17 team in 2010.
References
External links
New Orleans Privateers bio
1993 births
Living people
Afro-Argentine sportspeople
Argentine men's basketball players
Argentine people of African-American descent
Astros de Jalisco players
Basketball players from Florida
Ferro Carril Oeste basketball players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Libertad de Sunchales basketball players
New Orleans Privateers men's basketball players
Soles de Mexicali players
Sportspeople from Entre Ríos Province
People from Wesley Chapel, Florida
Power forwards (basketball)
Regatas Corrientes basketball players
Sportspeople from the Tampa Bay area
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