Stetson University Athletics

Delano Thomas joined the Stetson Men's Basketball coaching staff in July 2026 and serves as an assistant coach under head coach Donnie Jones. Thomas arrived in DeLand with more than two decades of coaching experience and an extensive championship résumé that includes success as a collegiate head coach, international coach and professional player. Most recently, Thomas spent the 2025-26 season as Assistant Director of Player Development at High Point University after two successful seasons as head coach at Florida Memorial University. Thomas has built winning programs throughout his career, highlighted by an NAIA National Championship at Shawnee State and a Sun Conference Tournament title at Florida Memorial. Across eight seasons as a collegiate head coach, Thomas amassed 162 career victories while developing numerous all-conference and All-America performers. His teams have consistently combined winning at a high level with player development, and several of his former players have gone on to professional careers. Immediately before joining Stetson, Thomas spent the 2025-26 season as Assistant Director of Player Development at High Point University. The position placed Thomas within a championship-level program and allowed him to focus on player development after completing two successful seasons as a collegiate head coach at Florida Memorial. His time at High Point added another perspective to a résumé that already included head-coaching, assistant-coaching and international experience. Thomas spent two seasons as head coach at Florida Memorial University and compiled a 47-15 overall record with a 21-9 mark in Sun Conference play. He led the Lions to the 2024 Sun Conference Tournament Championship and an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament. The championship continued a career-long pattern of building competitive programs and winning at a high level. Thomas returned to his alma mater at Shawnee State University as an assistant coach in 2014 before taking over as head coach in 2017. He quickly elevated the Bears into one of the premier programs in NAIA basketball. The program's rise culminated in the 2020-21 season, when Thomas guided Shawnee State to a 31-2 record and the first NAIA National Championship in program history. After opening the season 4-2, the Bears reeled off 27 consecutive victories while capturing the Mid-South Conference regular season title, conference tournament championship and national championship. The winning streak ultimately reached 31 games over two seasons. Thomas earned multiple national and conference honors following Shawnee State's championship season. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year, Don Meyer Coach of the Year, Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year and HoopDirt.com NAIA Coach of the Year. The collection of awards recognized a season in which Thomas led Shawnee State to its first national championship while overseeing one of the most successful stretches in program history. Player development has remained a major part of Thomas' coaching career. Across eight seasons as a collegiate head coach, Thomas mentored four NAIA All-Americans, two conference Players of the Year and 28 All-Conference selections. His players have also found success beyond the collegiate level, with nine former players continuing their careers overseas and another competing in the NBA G League. Thomas' coaching background extends beyond the college game. While continuing his professional playing career, he also gained international coaching experience as a head coach in Uruguay and Norway. Those opportunities added a global perspective to a basketball career that has included playing, coaching and player development across multiple countries and competitive levels. Before beginning his coaching career, Thomas starred at Shawnee State from 2002-04. He earned First Team NAIA All-America honors and was named AMC Player of the Year in 2004. Thomas remains Shawnee State's all-time leader in blocked shots and rebounds per game while also ranking among the program's career leaders in scoring and assists. His accomplishments earned him induction into the Shawnee State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. Following his collegiate career, Thomas played professionally for nine years across six countries in Europe, South America and Asia. His professional career included a Norwegian BLNO Championship during the 2008-09 season. Thomas' time playing internationally also provided opportunities to begin building his coaching résumé abroad before transitioning fully into collegiate coaching.