Deon Thomas is a name well-known by fans of college basketball here in Illinois, and on campus as Lewis and Clark’s athletic director and men’s basketball coach.
The Chicago native played college ball at the University of Illinois from 1990-1994 and still holds records there for career points (2,129), block shot, rebounds and field goal percentage. As a professional, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, and played in Europe for Spain, Greece and Bulgaria, and won back-to-back European Championships with Macabbi Tel Aviv in Israel. While with Macabbi Tel Aviv, his team also won back-to-back Israeli championships and Israeli Cups.
“This institution gave me the opportunity to begin my college coaching career. For that I will always be grateful. The campus is beautiful, but I feel it’s the people I have encountered here who make it so beautiful. I want to make Lewis and Clark a powerhouse in NJCAA basketball, and I want to learn all I can as a coach and an AD in order to become the best that I can be,” he said. “Lewis and Clark is a great institution that has served its students and community for 40 years and I believe that it will continue to live up to its great name.”