Bryant Thomas

Bio

2022-23: For a second straight year, senior center Bryant Thomas was been named the South Atlantic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas earns 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 carer 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 points per game to rank 13^th 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.  

HONORS: 

• SAC Defensive Player of the Year 
• SAC All-Tournament Team 
• SAC Player of the Week (11/14)
• TSWA Player of the Week (11/14)

2021-22: Thomas was the back-line anchor to Carson-Newman's zone defense that led the league in blocks and scoring defense, and as a result Carson-Newman has held more opponents (three) below 50 points this season than in any other season this century. Thomas was the league's top shot blocker and rebounder.   He was ninth nationally with 65 blocks and 14th in the country with 2.22 re-directs per game.  Thomas was the league leader in both categories.  His 65 rejections are the Eagles' single-season record. Carson-Newman has the country's 28th best shot-blocking team with 111 total rejections. Thomas posted multiple rejections in 18 of Carson-Newman's games this season – including the last seven in a row. He tied his own single-game school record twice this season with six-block days against Queens (Nov. 20) and Coker (Jan. 17).  The league's top rebounder, Thomas has snagged at least five rebounds in every game Carson-Newman has played since Jan. 17 – 15 straight.  He's posted double-digit rebounds in nine contests, including three consecutive for the first time in his career from Jan. 22-26 against Wingate Anderson and Lincoln Memorial. Thomas has also added some thievery to his game. He's posted 25 steals on the season and has had 16 since Jan. 24.  Thomas is both Carson-Newman's single-season and career record holder for rejections. He sits at 131 for his Carson-Newman career.  The 6-9 center has also added some scoring punch to his game, averaging a career-best 10.1 points per game.  He had 16 double-digit scoring efforts, including a season-best 17 against Wingate on Nov. 27. Thomas has posted six double-doubles on the year. 

HONORS

• SAC Defensive Player of the Year 
• SAC All-Tournament Team 

2020-21: Thomas was an elite shot blocker in his second year at Carson-Newman.  His 2.05 blocked shots per game ranked fifth in the nation and first in the SAC while his 45 total blocks were second nationally.  An elite rim protector, he finished the year third in school history in total blocks and second in blocks per game.  Thomas averaged 6.4 points per game to go with 5.8 rebounds per game while knocking down 60.4 percent of his shots.  Thomas scored in double digits five times. However, he had a breakout career night at UVA Wise (2/10) when he produced a career-high 20 points on a flawless 10-for-10 shooting.  He became the fourth Eagle and the fifth player in SAC history to take at least 10 shots without missing.  He joined Shaun Jones (12-for-12 v. Newberry – 12-3-16), Carson Brooks (12-of-12 v. Barton - 11-14-14) and Jeff Marshall (11-for-11 v. Gardner-Webb – 2-28-95) as the only Eagles to perform flawlessly from the field on 10 or more shots. Former Queens post Sean Morgan is the only other player in the league to accomplish such a feat. Thomas also had six boards and played with only one turnover.  However, for the first time this season – the nation's second-best shot blocker didn't have a rejection. Thomas turned in his first career double-double in the quarterfinals of the SAC tournament against Wingate (3/1).  He had 11 points and 10 boards. That was one of three double-digit rebound games on the year for Thomas.  He also had six blocks against the Bulldogs - one off a SAC tournament record and tied for the Carson-Newman single game record for blocked shots. He had three or more blocks in seven games on the year.  

2019-20: Thomas appeared in 26 games in his first season at Carson-Newman, averaging 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds. Thomas amassed 21 blocks, the second most on the team.  He made 49.5 percent of his shots while going 10-for-29 from downtown.  Thomas produced a career-high 17 points against Coker (12/14), one of a trio of  double-digit scoring efforts on the year.  He also grabbed at least five rebounds on nine occasions, including a career-best nine against the Cobras. In that game against Coker, he was 7-for-11 from  the field and 3-for-6 from deep.  He led C-N in blocks in nine games.  

PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Thomas transfers to Carson-Newman from UNC Charlotte where he came off the bench for the 49ers.  He will have three years of eligibility with the Eagles. In his only year with the 49ers, Thomas averaged 2.2 points per game in 10 games. He had a solid all-around game in his first collegiate game with eight points, six rebounds and four block shots against Methodist before a foot injury sidelined him for the latter half of his freshman season. 

HIGH SCHOOL: In high school as a senior, Thomas averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 10 rebounds with 7.7 blocks per game which led the nation, according to MaxPreps. He earned SoMeck 8 Player of the Year honors in 2017 as well as Southwestern 4A all-conference team honors and a spot on Charlotte Observer All-Mecklenburg first team. He recorded six triple-doubles in his career and a career-high of 30 points against Berry as a senior. He tallied 17 double-doubles as a senior. Thomas grew seven inches over the last three years of high school.  

PERSONAL: Thomas is the son of Sonya Thomas, he plans to study to be a therapist at Carson-Newman.  Thomas chose Carson-Newman over Western Carolina, UNC Pembroke and Catawba.