Elkins Boys basketball coach Albert Thomas didn’t have to look for a player who contributed to at least 50 wins because he was enjoying the moment after earning his 500th career win at Hopson Field House on Wednesday.
Jonathan Hamilton, a class of 2011, played for Thomas’ national team for two years and is now an assistant coach for the Knights.
Thomas, 18 at Elkins, says the landmark victory was made all the more memorable by sharing it with one of his many former students.
“It was definitely a blessing,” Thomas said. “I have seen many players come and go. Having someone by my side who played in 2019 feels like reaching that milestone…good.”
A graduate of Rae High School in Corpus Christi, Thomas earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University, but wanted to try coaching. He has not looked back and has worked as a math teacher for over 30 years at the Bryan ISD, Tatum ISD, Grand Prairie ISD and Fort Bend ISD.
Thomas has primarily taught Algebra I. He has also taught courses such as pre-computational courses and advanced quantitative reasoning. He got his first head coaching job from his 1993 to his 1997 at Tatum High School.
“I wanted to be as helpful to others as my teachers and coaches were to me,” said Thomas. I had a really good experience with the students and players so far.It was a good path.It’s fun to be with young people.Because they Because always surprises you. There is never a dull moment.
The Knights have also generated plenty of excitement on the basketball court, appearing in five regional tournaments with Thomas, including reaching the state finals in 2016. They had several 30-win seasons, including a 30-6 mark in last year’s undefeated 20-6A division title.
Elkins regularly sends players to college basketball, some even playing professionally. Donovan Williams, who graduated from the Elkins in 2019, recently signed a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks after spending time with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this season.
“It’s kind of a good thing that that’s the goal for a lot of players,” Thomas said of playing after high school. I’m here for it, and if I can help someone along the way, it definitely feels good.”
Thomas is now helping develop a relatively young team as the Knights seek their 10th consecutive playoff appearance. I transferred to Monteverde Academy in Florida.
The Knights (15-9) have grown into different roles and learned to play during the fall without affecting Christopher Burnett’s post player.
Burnett returned to the regular season, averaging 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. Jr. Jacoby Osborne leads Elkins with 13.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
The productive junior class includes Charlie Reed (7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds), Tood Woods (5.9 points, 2.8 assists) and Justin Mitchell (5.6 points, 3.0 assists).
“It’s an inexperienced group,” Thomas said. “They’re learning lessons along the way. They’re taking mistakes they’ve made before and trying to eliminate them now. They’re taking care of the ball and a game that has really improved their understanding of time and scores.”
Elkins lost back-to-back losses to Clements and Fort Bend Austin, but quickly rebounded to complete Travis’ season sweep with a 47-44 victory, defeating Ridge Point 65-48, and giving the Panthers an early win. I lost.
In addition to being a coaching milestone, the win also tied Elkins for third place with Travis and Bush, while Clements came close at 6-4.
The Knights face Bush at Hopson Field House on Saturday and are increasingly in contention for four playoff berths in 20-6A.
“There are still a lot of teams in the playoffs,” Thomas said. “Everything counts. We lost two straight but I’m proud to have come back. Beating our neighborhood rival was the icing on the cake. It made it special for all of us.”