Indiana University Athletics
IU Coaching Staff Update
7/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 3, 2003
Bloomington, IN - Indiana assistant basketball coach Jim Thomas will not return to the Hoosier program in 2003-04, IU head coach Mike Davis announced on Thursday."Jim has made key contributions to the Indiana program both as a player and as an assistant coach," Davis said. "We appreciate his efforts over the last two years and wish him the best in the future."
Thomas returned to IU in August, 2001 after spending the previous seven years as a member of the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors' staff. In 2000-01, he served as a scout and the previous four seasons he was an assistant coach for Butch Carter. As a member of the Raptor coaching staff, Thomas was part of a turnaround that saw Toronto `s wins increase from 16 to 45 in just two seasons.
A native of Lakeland, Fla., Thomas was the sixth man on the 1981 national championship team. He earned NCAA All-Tournament honors in helping the Hoosiers to their fourth NCAA crown.
During his four seasons with the Hoosiers, he scored 751 points (6.6 per game) which ranks 58th on Indiana's all-time points list. The Hoosiers posted a 90-33 mark in his four-year career. They won three Big Ten crowns (1980, 1981, 1983) and tied for second in 1982.
In each of his final two seasons he was the Hoosiers' third-leading scorer, averaging 9.2 points as a junior and 10.2 as a senior. He was tops on the squad in rebounds and steals per game both seasons. He also led the team in assists in his junior campaign.
Thomas was a second round selection of the Indiana Pacers in the 1983 NBA Draft. He spent two years with the Pacers and then became a member of the LA Clippers in 1985.
Thomas was out of basketball from 1986-88 serving as an underwriter for AUL but got back into the game as a player in 1988. He played professionally in the World Basketball League in Calgary, Alberta, and played for four teams (Evansville, Kansas City, Rapid City, Omaha) in the CBA from 1988-1992. During the 1991 season he earned a spot on the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves roster.
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