Riders’ new man Miryne Thomas is entering his first professional season following a five-year college career.
The 6’8” Cleaveland native made a name for himself as an elite scorer during his time in the NCAA D1.
Get to know him with some of his top performances!
11/3/23: 24 points in MAC Championship semi-final
Kent State played in the MAC Tournament Championship in early 2023, attempting to book their place in the NCAA Tournament.
In the semi-final, they came up against the Akron Zips, the third seed in the Mid-American Conference. Thomas came up huge in the game, a 16-point second half seeing Kent State to a 79-73 win.
He attacked the game with killer efficiency, getting his 24 points on 54% field goal shooting, 66% three-point shooting and going 10-10 from the free-throw line.
They went on to win the championship, beating the number-one seed Toledo 93-78. The championship is the seventh in program history and gave the Golden Flashes an automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
1/11/23: 22-point double-double vs number one seed
The Golden Flashes went into the championship game with supreme confidence against Toldedo, having beaten them in the regular season back in November.
Thomas led them to the win, stuffing the stat sheet with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, shooting 7-15 from the field, 4-10 from three and 4-4 from the foul line.
His play saw them beat the Rockets 75-63, the 6’8” forward grabbing seven offensive boards. After halftime, he put the game beyond much doubt, draining three threes early in the second half against the eventual first-seed.
26/1/22: Dominance at Ball State
Thomas played for Ball State before transferring to Kent State for his final year of eligibility, putting up 11.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
His highest-scoring game of the season: a 26-point outing against the Miami Redhawks. Thomas led Ball State to a dominant 81-64 win, blowing the game open in the first half.
Thomas had eight rebounds and two blocks in the win, as he went 9-12 from the field, 4-5 from three and 4-6 from the free-throw line in a red-hot deep shooting performance.
Ball State finished up as the six seed with an 9-10 record in the MAC Conference.
2/12/17: Dominant from the jump
As a freshman, it didn’t take long for Thomas to show his full potential as a dominant forward. Six games into his college career, he led the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to a 74-70 victory over the American University Eagles with a 17-point double-double.
Thomas averaged 11.1 points and led the team in rebounds with 7.8 per game, and was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team. He Recorded double-figures in rebounds in nine games with a season-high 16 later in the year.
He put up a season-high 21 points in October before transferring to Ball State at the end of the year.
13/12/20- Miryne can’t miss
Having already established himself as an efficient scorer in his three college seasons prior, Thomas’ ability to put the ball in the basket was on full display against the Northern Illinois Huskies in his final season with Ball State.
He led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds, his shooting efficiency number through the roof. Thomas shot 6-7 from the field, 4-4 from three and 4-5 from the free-throw line, missing only one field goal on the way to his points tally.
It was a 78-58 blowout, Ball State taking a 15-point lead into the half and never looking back. Thomas went on to averaged 49.5% from the field and 44.6% from three in a red-hot year.
Want to see Miryne in action?
Get tickets to our home preseason opener against USA Select!
Photo credit: Kent State Golden Flashes
