Isaiah Thomas (basketball)
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| No. 22 Sacramento Kings | |
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| Point Guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | February 7, 1989 |
| Place of birth | Tacoma, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | South Kent School South Kent, Connecticut |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Washington |
| NBA Draft | 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60th overall |
| Selected by the Sacramento Kings | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
Isaiah Thomas (born February 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings and was taken as the final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He is a 5 ft 9 in[1] (1.70 m) point guard. During his freshman (2008–09) year, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[2] He has been compared to 5'9" former Washington star and current Golden State Warriors point guard Nate Robinson in both style and production.[3]
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[edit] High school
He attended Curtis Senior High School in University Place, Washington through 11th grade, and then transferred to South Kent School in Kent, Connecticut to repeat the 11th grade due to academic deficiencies. He graduated from South Kent School in 2008. At Curtis, Thomas averaged 31.2 points as a junior.[4] He called a news briefing on April 20, 2006 to announce his intention to sign with the University of Washington.[3]
[edit] College
Thomas received blessings from Nate Robinson, the former Washington Huskies star, to wear his #2 jersey.[5] In an exhibition game against Western Washington, Thomas scored 27 points on 9-of-12 field goals. He scored a career-high 42 points in an 81–67 home win over Morgan State on December 30, 2008.[6] This bettered his previous high of 19 points scored in a 74–51 blowout over Florida International on November 20.[6]
Thomas made an immediate impact upon arrival for the Washington Huskies during the 2008-09 season as he averaged 15.5 points, 2.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman. As a sophomore, the scoring output continued as he raised his averages to 16.9 points, 3.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.
On March 12, 2011 Thomas scored 28 points and hit a game winning buzzer beater in overtime to lead the Huskies to victory over Arizona in the championship game of the Pac-10 tournament. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award in his junior season.[7]
On March 31, 2011 he officially announced his intentions to forego his senior season and enter the NBA draft.
[edit] 2011 NBA Draft
Before the 2011 NBA Draft Thomas participated in his own pre draft documentary entitled "Road To The NBA-The Isaiah Thomas Story".[8] Isaiah Thomas was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round. He was the final pick in the draft. On January 11, 2012, Thomas recorded career-highs in points with 20, field goals made and attempted with 6 and 12, three pointers made and attempted with 3 and 6, and assists, with 6.
[edit] Awards
[edit] College
- 2009 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
- 2009 Second Team All-Pac-10
- 2010 First Team All-Pac-10
- 2010 Pac-10 Tournament MVP
- 2011 First Team All-Pac-10
- 2011 Pac-10 Tournament MVP
[edit] Personal
Isaiah Thomas was named after former Detroit Pistons All-Star point guard Isiah Thomas when his father, James, bet his friend that his favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers, would defeat the Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals. Even though the younger Thomas ended up being born months before the Finals took place, James had already warmed to the name. However, the boy's mother, Tina Baldtrip, insisted on spelling it 'Isaiah', as she desired a biblical name.[9][10]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Player Bio: Isaiah Thomas
- ^ Washington Huskies Statistics - 2008-09
- ^ a b Curtis' Isaiah Thomas likely to choose UW
- ^ Isaiah Thomas ready to play basketball for Huskies
- ^ UW Men's Basketball | No. 2 man Isaiah Thomas expects big returns
- ^ a b Washington 81, Morgan St. 67 - Recap - December 30, 2008
- ^ "BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES FINAL TEN CANDIDATES FOR 2011 BOB COUSY AWARD" (PDF). Bob Cousy Award. February 7, 2011. http://www.cousyaward.com/docs/CousyAward2011.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ Percy Allen (June 22, 2011). "Husky Men's Basketball Blog | Road To The NBA - The Isaiah Thomas Story | Seattle Times Newspaper". seattletimes.nwsource.com. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2015392991_road_to_the_nba.html. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ The Name Of The Game, Sports Illustrated Feb. 7, 2011,
- ^ Player Bio: Isaiah Thomas - University of Washington Official Athletics Site
[edit] External links
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