Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2019
One of the most exciting players to ever grace the floor of Sartain Hall, Darryl Thomas wowed Trojan fans from 1987-89. A two-time junior college All-American, Thomas was third in the nation in scoring with 30.7 points per game coming out of DeKalb Junior College.
“Over the years we had many outstanding shooters, Troy men’s basketball coaching legend and Troy University Sports Hall of Fame member Don Maestri said. “Darryl was not only an outstanding shooter, he made them at clutch times. He was truly the reason we went to the first Final Four in Troy history. He made big shots throughout the year and in the regional, the kid just took over.”
As a Trojan, Thomas continued to frustrate opposing defenses averaging 23.2 points per game while being named an All-American and Gulf South Conference Player of the Year in 1989.
“We got him out of DeKalb Junior College and one of the main reasons is that he had a great visit,” Maestri said. “We used our players to recruit as much as we did the coaches and our players were great. He had a great visit, came to Troy and the rest is history. As Darryl likes to tell it: ‘Maestri, you and (David) Felix, I saved your jobs.’ And he did.”
Thomas scored 1,415 points in his two seasons at Troy and finished his career in the top 10 in points, scoring average (23.2), field goals attempted (1,157), free throws made (298) and free throws attempted (391). Thomas still holds the program’s single-season record with 815 points and 320 field goals made in 1987-88.
“He was so competitive,” Maestri said. “I think that’s why he made so many clutch shots. He wasn’t thinking about himself, he was thinking about winning the game. The other thing was his super athleticism. He was only about 6-foot-2, but we used to joke that you could put a dollar bill on top of the backboard and he could go up, get it and leave the change.”
The Atlanta, Georgia native was named MVP of the South Atlantic Regional which Troy won to advance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. In the regional tournament championship game, Thomas hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime, then knocked down a reverse layup with three seconds left in overtime to lift Troy to a 66-65 win over North Carolina Central. Thomas went on to score 25 points against Cannon (Pa.) and 34 points in the consolation game against Florida Southern to earn all-tournament honors. For his career, Thomas broke the 30-point plateau six times, including a career-best 38 against West Alabama.
“When you get a player like Darryl Thomas, you have to let him do his thing,” Maestri said. “You can’t draw up some of the things that he could do. Teams would double-team him and he’d take the shot over both of them and make it. Players like that are unique.”
During Thomas’ two-year career, Troy won 43 games and in 1988 advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four Tournament for the first time in school history.
“He set the tone for Troy basketball for the next 30 years,” Maestri said. “He created excitement for basketball at Troy University. We were not considered a basketball school, but when we started winning with him, the whole community and campus started to get involved. We really were good and exciting, he was as exciting a basketball player as we’ve ever had.”
