SOMBOR, Serbia – Two-time South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Carson-Newman men's basketball alumnus Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) has become the seventh Eagle in the last 10 years to sign a professional contract.
Thomas has inked a deal to play for Košarkaški klub Joker, commonly referred to as KK Joker, in the Second Basketball League of Serbia. Located in Sombor, Serbia, the club was founded in 2002 as KK SO Koš. The club changed its name to KK Joker after the nickname of Serbian NBA All-Star Nikola Jokić who started his playing career with the club.
"My time at Carson-Newman prepared me to go pro by enabling me to grow as a person," Thomas said. "I learned to value and build on certain qualities that will help me be successful later on in life. On top of that, being around a group that believed in me which gave me the confidence to expand my game over my the years. Becoming a professional was just the outcome."
Thomas will bring Carson-Newman's active pros to four. He joins Grant Teichman (Dresdem Titans – Germany Pro A), Ish Sanders (Sunbury Jets – Big V Basketball Australia) and Josh Rogers (Bristol Flyers – British Basketball League) as former Eagles actively playing pro.
With Charles Clark and Antoine Davis' retirements, C-N has produced seven pros in the last decade. Carson-Newman has the most professional basketball players in the SAC in that time span behind Lincoln Memorial has produced 10.
However, C-N's has the most active pros, with four, besting the Railsplitters by one.
"We are so proud and happy for BT," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "His defensive skills were initially what made him so unique, but his overall growth as a player during his time were second to none. BT earned this opportunity to be a professional athlete."
For a second straight year, senior center Bryant Thomas was named the South Atlantic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas earned the major award for a second consecutive season while also garnering third-team All-SAC accolades. He joins Emmanuel Terry (Lincoln Memorial) as the only players to win Defensive Player of the Year twice.
The Eagles' shot-stopper once again led the South Atlantic Conference with 2.23 blocks per game and 63 rejections this season. Thomas finished his career with 194 rejections, the most by a wide margin in Carson-Newman history, and ranks eighth all-time in league history for career rejections.
His 63 blocks this year are the second-most in school history, second only to his 65-rejection season last year. Thomas matched his own single-game record with six blocks against Mars Hill on Dec. 14. He closed out his career with multiple rejections in 10 of his final 11 games as an Eagle.
He had five games this season with at least four rejections. For his career, Thomas finished with 950 points after averaging a career-best 14.6 per game as a senior. He tallied 6.9 boards per game to rank 13th and seventh in the SAC, respectively. Thomas tallied double-digit scoring efforts in 22 games this season and five or more rebounds 20 times. He fired in a career-high 31 on the road in a win at Wingate when he sank 15-of-20 shots from the field. That performance was one of six, 20-point scoring efforts on the year.
Thomas entered the year with precisely one 20-point game in his previous three seasons at Carson-Newman. He had six double-doubles on the year, including three that featured him scoring 20 points. He pulled that off during his career-high against Wingate, as well as in the Eagles' opener against Lees-McRae (28-10) and a 12-point home win over Mars Hill on Dec. 14 (27-11).
Thomas shot 56.4 percent from the field and made a career-best 155 shots this season. Thomas also closes out his Carson-Newman career second all-time in total offensive rebounds (205). He also closes out his career ranking sixth in offensive rebound average (2.0), and sixth in total defensive rebounds (433).
Thomas started his senior campaign with a bang and has brought in his second weekly award in three days. The Tennessee Sportswriters' Association has picked Thomas as the state player of the week, two days after he was named the SAC's player of the week. Thomas averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks as Carson-Newman went 1-1 on the opening weekend with a 86-74 win over King and a 73-70 buzzer-beating loss to Lees-McRae.
The reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Year tallied back-to-back 20-point games, doubling up his career total of 20-point outings in one weekend. He started the weekend with his eighth career double-double. He dropped a career-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting against Lees-McRae and added in 10 boards and three blocks. Thomas followed that up with 20 points against King.
Thomas was 7-for-11 from the field against the Tornado. He also had four rebounds and two steals. The senior is Carson-Newman's first SAC Player of the Week since Luke Brenegan was recognized on Jan. 17, 2022. He is the first Eagle named TSWA player of the week since Tripp Davis was selected Feb. 25, 2021.
