In this Shawnee State One-on-One edition, we sit down with Miles Thomas to discuss what it means to play for the Bears and setting new standards along the way!
Thomas, who transferred from Tennessee-Martin to Shawnee State prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, has been critical in many different ways to the success of Shawnee State's best unit in school history.
In 16 games and two starts as a second-semester transfer, Thomas, who has primarily served as the team's sixth man, is third on the unit in scoring at 11.1 points per game while adding in 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per outing as well. Thomas has scored in double-figures in 10 of those 16 affairs, including six of the last seven games that Shawnee State has played in. The 6-6 wing out of Chattanooga, Tenn. posted a 21-point outing against Pikeville while going 8-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range -- his best showing in a SSU uniform.
Thomas, who didn't start seriously pursuing the game of basketball until middle school, established himself as one of the best players in Tennessee, regardless of class.
The four-year letterwinner scored over 1,500 points in his high school career, mainly coming in his junior and senior campaigns where Thomas averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks during the 2014-15 campaign and 21 points to go along with seven rebounds as a senior for South Doyle.
He was named as the District 2-AAA Player of the Year as a senior and was named as a Class AAA All-State honoree, capping off a strong high school career. In being named an All-State selection in high school, Thomas joined a who's-who of great natural talents, including future Clemson and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver standout Tee Higgins, current Memphis standouts Tyler Harris and Alex Lomax, and Oregon letterwinner Chandler Lawson.
After signing with Tennessee Tech and redshirting during the 2016-17 season, Thomas played his next two campaigns at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn.
There, Thomas, after averaging 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game as a freshman, took his game to the next level.
In averaging 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game at Walters State as a redshirt sophomore, Thomas was named as the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association's (TCCAA) Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year after shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range. Thomas also won NJCAA National Player of the Week honors once, scored 1,040 points with Walters State, led the unit to a 23-8 overall record in his second season with the program, and was named to the NJCAA All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nev.
Back at a NCAA Division I program for the second time after starring at Walters State, Thomas proved to be both reliable and productive for Tennessee-Martin, as well. The redshirt junior was one of only three players on the 2019-20 roster to appear in all 29 games last season and one of four to start at least 20 games for the Skyhawks. He finished second on the team in steals with 30 in all -- averaging just above one steal a game -- and also posted 3.4 rebounds and two assists on his statline in 26.6 minutes per game to go along with his sound scoring ability.
