First in-state basketball player in 20 years, Sebastian Thomas, playing against Sacred Heart. PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Clark | Staff Photographer
Since Steve Mello in 2000, the University of Rhode Island hasn’t had a native of the state join its men’s basketball team on scholarship.
Freshman guard Sebastian Thomas broke that streak last June, joining the Rams for their 2021-22 season. In his first season, Thomas has made an immediate impact, bringing a sense of Rhode Island pride to Kingston.
Thomas arrived in Kingston after three years at Bishop Hendricken High School, where he won two state championships with the Hawks. As a freshman, Thomas had varsity aspirations, but according to Hendricken Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Jamal Gomes, he was put on junior varsity for the sake of growth and development.
“I knew he had so much talent and had the potential to be one of the best players in our program’s history,” Gomes said. “I just wanted him to take a year to develop. He was the first one in my office asking questions, though, when he found out that he wasn’t on varsity.”
Thomas confirmed that story, claiming the competitive drive in him wouldn’t allow for anything less than varsity.
“I just knew I belonged there,” Thomas said. “When Coach Gomes put me on JV, I went to his office and asked why. When he told me, I just decided to go to work.”
Thomas’s hard work and competitiveness paid off that season as he earned a spot on the varsity squad for the second half of his freshman season. From there, the rest was Hendricken history.
By his sophomore season, Thomas was one of the top contributors on his team, averaging 13 points per game. By his junior year, Thomas was one of, if not the best player in the state of Rhode Island, averaging 23 points per game for Hendricken and leading the Hawks to a Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) Division 1 title. Thomas had one of his best games of his Hawk career, scoring the final 15 points and logging the game-sealing steal that would earn Hendricken the win against North Kingstown. Unfortunately for Thomas and his squad, the COVID-19 pandemic ended his spectacular season and the Hawks didn’t have a chance to compete for the state title.
After his junior season, Thomas transferred to the Hoosac School in upstate New York. He played one season for the Owls before committing to Rhody early last summer. Despite having one more year of eligibility at Hoosac, Thomas always knew he wanted to play for his home state.
“When I got to high school, I just started telling people that I wanted to go to the University of Rhode Island,” Thomas said. “I always knew I wanted to stay in the state and play in front of my friends and family.”
While the URI men’s basketball season has been a rollercoaster ride of sorts, Thomas has been a welcome addition to the squad. The freshman has served as the team’s backup point guard, averaging 2.5 points and two assists per game while also logging three starts in his first year with the Rams.
“This season has definitely been up and down,” Thomas said. “We started strong and have had some struggles, but it’s been a great learning experience and the guys have been helpful in showing me what it takes to be great at this level.”
Thomas is off to a great start at URI, but Gomes believes he still has a lot to show to the Rhody faithful in the coming years.
“He is yet to show everyone how good of a scorer he can be,” Gomes said. “Give him a year to get adjusted to the college level and give him a larger role and he will show you what he can really do.”
Thomas echoed that statement, saying he has a long way to go before he has achieved what he wants to with the Rams.
“My hope is to win a lot of games here and pave the way for other kids in Rhode Island,” Thomas said. “Next year, I am going to keep working and hopefully I can show people what I can do and inspire other people from Rhode Island to come here and represent the state.”