Carl Thomas, one of the players who helped Eastern Michigan University’s 1991 basketball team advance to the NCAA Sweet 16, and who was named to the EMU Hall of Fame in 2021, is Cleary University’s first head coach of its new men’s basketball team.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Thomas in the Cleary University family,” said Heather Bateman, senior vice president of campus operations and Cleary’s athletic director. “His enthusiasm, knowledge extensive coaching experience and recruiting connections make him a perfect fit for our athletes, the school, and the athletic department.”
Thomas spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn., an NCAA Division 1 school. Prior to Duquesne, Thomas was head coach for four years at NJCAA Jackson College, and an assistant coach for two years at NJCAA Owens Community College in Ohio. Thomas also served as an assistant coach for six seasons at his alma mater, NCAA Division 1 Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti.
“To be entrusted to build a men’s basketball program is a tremendous honor,” Thomas said. “I am excited to begin recruiting players for the 2023/24 season and compete at the highest level in the WHAC.”
Thomas was a basketball standout at Lansing Everett High School; he was named the Capitol Conference Player of the Year during his senior year while helping the Vikings to a state semifinals appearance in 1987. After high school, Thomas and his twin brother, Charles, attended Eastern Michigan University, where they played for head coach Ben Braun and current Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot, and helped lead the basketball team to the Mid-American Conference Championships in 1988 and 1991. The 1991 team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Thomas was named to the Eastern Michigan University Hall of Fame in 2021.
After graduation, Thomas played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1991 to 1999. In the CBA, he played for teams in Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids and was called up to the NBA five times, playing a total of 63 NBA games for the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic. Thomas played professionally overseas in France, Sweden, Greece and Italy from 2000 to 2003.
A Lansing native, Thomas said he is especially excited to have an opportunity to coach near his hometown and family.
Last month, Cleary announced the addition of men’s and women’s basketball, which will begin competition during the 2023/24 season.
“The addition of these two sports will continue to help Cleary take the next steps to compete in the WHAC and the NAIA,” Bateman said. “These teams will complement our other athletic programs, and we will work diligently to develop two robust sports that the community and university proudly will support.”
Cleary is in the process of hiring a women’s basketball head coach.
Before adding basketball, Cleary was the only WHAC member that didn’t sponsor men’s and women’s basketball.
“Men’s and women’s basketball will further improve our student life experience,” Bateman said. “We believe our student athletes will create an environment where Cleary is considered one of the most challenging places for visiting teams to compete.”
