Amos Thomas (basketball)

Last updated
Amos Thomas
Personal information
Born(1949-02-14)February 14, 1949
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedNovember 4, 2005(2005-11-04) (aged 57)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Douglass (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
College
NBA draft 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 26th overall
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Position Shooting guard / Small forward
Number11
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Amos Thomas (November 14, 1949 - November 4, 2005) was American collegiate and professional basketball player. He was a second round pick of the Buffalo Braves of the National Basketball Association in the 1971 NBA draft.

Contents


College career

The 1967 Oklahoma High School Player of the Year at Frederick A. Douglass High School, Thomas played college basketball for legendary Coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma State University, from 1967 to 1969. Playing on the freshman team, Thomas Averaged 30.9 points and 12.5 rebounds in 1967-1968. Playing Varsity the next season, he averaged 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in 1968-69. [1] [2]

Thomas was declared ineligible by the NCAA midway through the 1968-1969 season. The press release of January 24, 1969 read as follows: "With a chance to climb back into the Big Eight basketball race, but the biggest news of the week in the conference came Thursday in a bombshell dropped at Stillwater. Okla. Oklahoma State University announced that sophomore star Amos Thomas is being declared ineligible for the remainder of the season, depriving Coach Henry Iba and the Cowboys of the Big Eight's No. 5 scorer. The 6-foot-7 Thomas from Oklahoma City, the school said, is being dropped because he played last spring in a benefit game in Oklahoma City in violation of Big Eight and National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. OSU said it had asked the Big Eight to investigate Thomas' participation in the game, a benefit for Dunjee High School's athletic program, and that the conference had prepared a report. "Based on this information ... it has been determined that the participation in this game is a violation of NCAA and conference rules," the OSU disclosure said. "Consequently, the university is declaring Thomas ineligible for the remainder of the basketball season." Thomas' future eligibility, the school said, would be appealed to the Big Eight and NCAA. Iba, whose Cowboys are off to a lackluster 1-2 start in the conference race, could not be" reached Thursday night for comment. There is little doubt, however, that the loss of Thomas will seriously cripple any hopes OSU retained of contending for the Big Eight title. He was averaging 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game in conference play. Thomas was picked to the first all-tournament team in the Big Eight pre-season tournament last month in Kansas City. OSU, which plays at Nebraska Monday night, has an 8-6 season record. Big Eight Commissioner Wayne Duke said Thursday night it will be determined at the regular conference meeting Feb. 28-March 1 in Kansas City whether the Cowboys will be forced to forfeit any of their victories. Duke said he had been asked to investigate the matter and had done so, conferring both with Thomas and Iba in the process. NCAA and Big Eight rules explicitly state that athletes shall not participate in any outside competition of any form." [3] [4]

Thomas then attended an NAIA school, Southwestern Oklahoma State University from 1969-1971, where he averaged 28.0 points in 1969-1970 and 24.3 in 1970-1971. [5] [6]

On December 3, 1968, Thomas set the Oklahoma State record for points in a debut game, with 27. The record was broken by James Anderson in 2007, with 29. [7]

Professional career

Thomas was drafted 26th overall by the Buffalo Braves in the 1971 NBA draft, but never appeared in an NBA season. Thomas was also drafted by the Memphis Tams of the American Basketball Association in the 4th Round of the 1971 ABA Draft. [8]

Death

On November 4, 2005 Thomas died of a stroke. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Sutton</span> American college basketball coach (1936–2020)

Edward Eugene Sutton was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M and was a head coach at the high school, junior college, and college levels spanning six decades.

Bryant Reeves is an American former professional basketball player. Reeves spent his entire career with the National Basketball Association's Vancouver Grizzlies, playing with the team from 1995 until 2001. He was nicknamed "Big Country" by his college teammate Byron Houston after Reeves was amazed by the size of the United States following his first cross-country airplane flight, having grown up in the small community of Gans, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Iba</span> American basketball player and coach

Henry Payne “Hank” Iba was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwest Missouri State University, from 1929 to 1933; the University of Colorado Boulder from 1933 to 1934; and the Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, known as Oklahoma A&M prior to 1957, from 1934 to 1970, compiling a career college basketball coaching record of 751–340. He led Oklahoma A&M to consecutive NCAA basketball tournament titles, in 1945 and 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Ford</span> American basketball coach (born 1969)

Travis Ford is an American college basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team. He was also previously the head coach at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma State. Prior to that, he played at the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys football</span> Football program representing Oklahoma State University–Stillwater

The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his 17th year as head coach. Oklahoma State plays its home games at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Velvet James Barnes, also known as Jim "Bad News" Barnes, was an American basketball player, who was an Olympic Gold Medalist and the No. 1 overall pick of the 1964 NBA draft. He played college basketball at Texas Western College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling</span> United States university wrestling team

The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is the most successful NCAA Division I program of all time in any sport. As of 2021-2022, Oklahoma State wrestling has won 34 team national championships, 143 individual NCAA championships, and 485 All-American honors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of the University of Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The program's first year of competition was 1897, and NU has since compiled an all-time record of 1,535–1,417, with seven NCAA tournament and sixteen NIT appearances. The team has been coached by Fred Hoiberg since 2019.

Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player. Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, in 1974 and 1976 and had a nine-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career. Kuberski was the last Celtic to wear number 33 before Larry Bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of Iowa State University

The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones play their home games at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball</span> Basketball team in Stillwater Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. All women's teams at the school are known as Cowgirls. The Cowboys currently compete in the Big 12 Conference. In 2020, CBS Sports ranked Oklahoma State the 25th best college basketball program of all-time, ahead of such programs as Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma State men’s basketball has a very rich history of success, having won more national titles and advanced to the NCAA Championship, Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen more times than any Big 12 program other than Kansas. Oklahoma State has won a combined 23 regular season conference titles and conference tournament titles, which is the most of any program in the state of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Gray</span> American basketball player

Leonard Earl Gray was an American professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Smart</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Marcus Osmond Smart is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cobbins</span> American basketball player

Michael Cobbins is an American professional basketball player for Basket Brescia Leonessa of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Oklahoma State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cade Cunningham</span> American basketball player (born 2001)

Cade Parker Cunningham is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Bowie High School in his hometown of Arlington, Texas, before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida, where he was rated a consensus five-star recruit and among the top players in the 2020 class by major recruiting services. As a senior, he led one of the best high school teams in history and received national player of the year recognition.

Randy Rutherford is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. Rutherford had a three-year college career with Oklahoma State, where as a senior in 1995 he helped the Cowboys make their first Final Four appearance in 45 years. He went on to play professionally in Spain, Finland, Cyprus and Australia. With the Brisbane Bullets in Australia, he led the league in scoring and earned All-NBL Second Team honors in 2002.

The 1991–92 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represented Oklahoma State University as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1991–92 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by second-year head coach Eddie Sutton and played their home games at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys won their first 20 games and rose to the No. 2 ranking in both major polls. They finished with a record of 28–8 and tied for second in Big Eight regular season play.

Moussa Cissé is a Guinean college basketball player for the Ole Miss Rebels of the Southeastern Conference. He previously played for the Memphis Tigers and Oklahoma State. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best centers in the 2020 class.

Avery Anderson III is an American college basketball player for the Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12 Conference.

The 2004–05 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represented Oklahoma State University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 15th-year head coach Eddie Sutton and played their home games at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys followed the previous season’s Final Four appearance by finishing with a record of 27–6 and a No. 8 final ranking in each of the two major polls.

References

  1. ↑ "The Best of the Rest". Vault.
  2. ↑ "Amos Thomas College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  3. ↑ "Jefferson City Post-Tribune from Jefferson City, Missouri on January 24, 1969 · Page 8". Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Dover Times Reporter Archives, Jan 24, 1969, p. 16". NewspaperArchive.com. January 24, 1969.
  5. ↑ "Amos Thomas Second Round 26th Overall | The Draft Review". www.thedraftreview.com.
  6. ↑ "Amos Thomas Player Profile, Southwestern Oklahoma State, NCAA Stats, Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  7. ↑ "Oklahoma State Runs Past Prairie View A&M, 104-48". Oklahoma State University Athletics.
  8. ↑ Consulting, Fine Line Websites & IT; Review, The Draft. "The Draft Review". The Draft Review.
  9. ↑ "High school hoops legend Thomas dies". Oklahoman.com. November 8, 2005.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.