University of Rhode Island point guard Sebastian Thomas made his return home this basketball season and has been electric as the Rams have quickly become one of the top teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference. 

Thomas left a historic legacy at Bishop Hendricken, leading the team to a state championship and earning all-state honors as the state’s best guard in 2020. He became one of the most sought-after Rhode Island prospects since Joe Mazzulla was recruited by West Virginia in 2006 and elected to join URI as a freshman.

After two seasons with the Rams, Thomas transferred to Albany his junior year, hoping to see more playing time and emerge as a top-flight Division I point guard. He did just that, leading the Great Danes in scoring with 19.6 points per game across 32 starts and earning all-conference honors in America East.

After his breakout season, Thomas eyed a return home and another chance to be a leader on his original college squad. He made the move official early last year and has not looked back.

Thomas currently leads the team in minutes per game (34.4), points per game (18.3) and assists per game (6.4), and has even flashed some skills on defense as he leads the team in steals per game (2.2). The Rams entered the week with a 12-2 overall record and began conference play going 1-1. After dropping the conference opener against Duquesne, the Rams bounced back to beat George Mason and Thomas hit the game-winning shot to secure the victory. 

“Things are good right now. We’ve built some great chemistry the first few months that we’ve played together. The conference is going to be harder, so we’ll need to lock in more and be more disciplined,” Thomas said.

Thomas has enjoyed the responsibility he has been given as a team captain and hopes his attitude is infectious on the court.

“My mindset on a daily basis is to show up and get the guys going. It is my job as the point guard to get all the guys to play hard, trying to win. I need to bring the energy every day and have the confidence in myself to get the guys going,” said Thomas, who felt his year at Albany really helped him develop a strong mentality heading into his senior year. “It was more of a mental thing. I had to see myself do it. I had to see myself put numbers up and believe that I could do it anywhere. I carried that to URI and it is working for me.”

The Rams had a down year in 2023-24, finishing with a 12-20 record overall. With multiple new starters, including Thomas, basketball fans were unsure of what this year’s team would look like. The Rams have made a statement to this point and have embraced the underdog label.

“We know inside the locker room that we’re a good team. We’ve got multiple guys that can do different things, we have depth. On the outside, I think we’re still underdogs, people don’t believe in us. People probably look at us as underdogs, but we’re OK with that. We know in our locker room what we have and that we’ll show up. Every game we’re just going to have to prove it,” Thomas said.

As he continues to lead the team in conference play, Thomas is thankful for the supportive community at URI and credits those around him for helping him hit another level this year.

“Honestly, I did not think that I would be doing this. I knew that I would have a good year and make an impact on the team because of the work that I put in. The workouts that I put in, the team we have and the position that the coaches have put me in have allowed me to be successful,” said Thomas.

Thomas has also enjoyed doing it in front of his home state.

“It’s an amazing feeling. There’s a bunch of people that know of me at our games – a bunch of people will come up to me. It’s great that (local) people get to witness me do what I do,” Thomas said. “Hopefully I am motivation for the younger kids that are trying to do the same thing as me. Hopefully I can be an inspiration for people in Rhode Island that want to live out their dreams. In the past few years, (basketball) definitely has grown in Rhode Island. As more time goes on, more kids will start playing in college, playing professionally, it’s a great thing for the state of Rhode Island.”

Thomas also reflects on his time at Hendricken and playing for coach Jamal Gomes. Thomas remains in contact with the Hawks and was in attendance for the team’s season opener against rival La Salle before the holiday break.

“The thing that I look back on at Hendricken that I try to apply right now is that at Hendricken, everyone is family and is taken care of on the basketball team, in the community at the school,” said Thomas. “Right now in my career, I’m trying to make it feel like a family environment with the coaches and team. When you have that, everything is more fun.”