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Thomas sisters leaving Marian, heading to Nevada with Dad
Birmingham – Bailey and Samantha Thomas might win another state title on the high school hardwood in 2016, but it won’t be at two-time defending Class A state champion Marian and it won’t be in Michigan.
Earlier this week, the Thomas’ dad and Marian’s assistant coach, Derek Thomas, accepted a job with Nike in Las Vegas and the Thomas family announced it was moving to Nevada. The announcement was made at the team banquet.
The Thomas sisters were two of the best girls basketball players in the state the past two years. Bailey, a junior point guard, is already committed to West Virginia. Samantha, a sophomore forward, is highly recruited in the frontcourt.
“It’s unfortunate to see them leave,” Marian athletic director Dave Feldman said. “Not only are they both great basketball players, they’re great young ladies, they’re great people in general. They’re both outstanding students and beloved members of our community. In the end, they have to go with their dad and his new job. That’s just reality, although it’s tough to hear for all of us, that’s the way it its.”
Last weekend, the Thomas gals teamed to lead Marian to a repeat state title, the first ever in the history of the illustrious Mustangs’ program, with a 51-37 defeat of DeWitt. In the state finals, Bailey had 17 points and Samantha 12.
Derek Thomas is a former assistant and head coach at the Division I men’s college level. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmett Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs), Derek played in college at UM-St. Louis and was a head coach at Western Illinois for five years (2003-2008). His assistant stints have been at UM-St. Louis, Missouri St, Minnesota, Illinois UNLV and the U-D Mercy.
Next year, Bailey and Samantha will be attending Centennial High School, recently crowned girls basketball state champions in the state of Nevada.
