Bainbridge native Myles Thomas signed to professional Australian basketball team

Published 6:30 pm Sunday, October 15, 2023

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Myles Thomas announced on Oct. 5 that he will join the Wyndham Basketball Association (WBA).

The WBA has teams in multiple levels of competition, and Thomas will be joining its top team, the Championship Men’s team.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to extending my playing experience out to another part of the world,” Thomas said in a Facebook post from the WBA. “I’m also looking forward to joining the winning culture and continuing that success this upcoming season.”

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Championship Men’s head coach, Lucas Allen, said Thomas ticks many boxes for the team in 2024.

“Myles is an outstanding addition to our program,” Allen said in a Facebook post from the WBA. “It was important for us to find someone with a range of experiences playing the game and a versatile skill set… His size, skill set and athleticism are all elements of his game that we can’t wait to intertwine into our style of play.”

Thomas enters the Wyndham signing from a stent with the Romanian team CSM Focsani in 2023 and a championship-winning season with the Maltan team Starlites GIG in 2022. 

He will join a Wyndham program that won the championship in 2022

“That’s what made it stand out for this opportunity,” Thomas said. “We both like winning.”

Thomas started his professional basketball career in July of 2021. He has played for teams in Kosovo, Malta, Romania and, now, will be playing for a team in Australia. 

“It’s pretty cool to see different cultures,” Thomas said. “It’s always an adjustment.”

Thomas will travel to Melbourne to join Wyndham in February of 2024. He said he and his agent are looking for an opportunity to join a different team while he waits for the February move.

In the meantime, Thomas will be in Bainbridge, working out and sharpening his basketball skills to stay in shape for the upcoming basketball season. Thomas is working out at the Bainbridge YMCA while in town. 

Thomas grew up in Bainbridge and said he had a routine of working out at the Y in the morning and after basketball practices in high school.

“My whole childhood is [at the YMCA] basically,” Thomas said. “From three years old, all the way up.”

Thomas said he became “really serious” about basketball his sophomore year at Bainbridge High School. He played on the Bearcat varsity team from sophomore to senior year. 

“Miles was a good one,” said Ricky McCullough, Bearcat’s varsity basketball head coach during Thomas’s high school career. “He got better every year and worked hard at his game.”

As a senior, Thomas played in 30 games and averaged a career-best nine points per game and seven rebounds per game. He was elected team captain and was named to the Second Team All-Region that year. 

“I would say one thing I learned playing for Bainbridge is the importance of growing and developing and knowing your game,” Thomas said. “High school is where I kind of learned the importance of not only putting in work at practice but also doing the extra things like playing travel ball and working out on your own time.”  

Thomas furthered his basketball career at Tuskegee University after graduating in 2016. Thomas started in 25 of 26 games as a freshman, averaged eight points per game and led the team in three-pointers made.  

“My college coaches were really helpful, and they were the ones who gave me the confidence and motivation that I could play ball at a higher level,” Thomas said.   

Thomas had a breakout season in his junior year. He led the team in scoring with 13 points per game and was voted a top 15 player in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Thomas continued to improve as a senior. He was named to the All-SIAC second team, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game.