HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— Chris Thomas’ days with the Thundering Herd are numbered. Coach Dan D’Antoni announced Tuesday Thomas had been dismissed from the Marshall basketball team.
Thomas was reportedly kicked off the roster for a violation of team rules.
He is the latest in a series of players brought in by former coach Tom Herrion who came with a troubled past. Elijah Pittman was kicked off the team in the middle of last seasons and the well-travelled Kareem Canty opted to transfer to his fifth school in five years after Herrion was fired and D’Antoni was hired.
Before finally ending up at Marshall, Thomas hopped from prep school to prep school with stops in Maryland, Arizona and Connecticut. He committed to Xavier in 2012 but withdrew his commitment and planned to enroll at Manhattan. However, those plans were derailed when he violated his conditional release from an earlier arrest.
Thomas finally ended up at Marshall for the 2013-14 season where he was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable year. Thomas averaged 12.7 points and four rebounds per game with The Herd.
Meanwhile, D’Antoni officially announced Tuesday the addition of James Kelly. The 6-foot-7 forward will have one season of eligibility left after transferring from Miami. Kelly will sit out the upcoming season.
Kelly appeared in 27 games and made 11 starts for the Hurricanes last season, averaging six points and 3.7 rebounds. Kelly played two seasons at Owens Community College before moving to Miami last year.
Kelly played his high school ball at Pioneer High School where he was recruited by Michigan State, New Mexico, West Virginia and Clemson.