Marshall University junior Johnny Thomas has been named to the 2011 Conference USA Men’s Basketball All-Academic team, it was announced by the league on Friday.
Thomas, who is working towards a Masters degree in Sports Administration, notched a 3.66 GPA in his first year at Marshall after transferring from North Carolina State.
Over the course of two seasons at NC State, Thomas appeared in 25 games. He has matched that total and then some since transferring. Since starting his junior season with the Thundering Herd, Thomas has played in 26 games, averaging 8.6 points per game and 4.5 rebounds.
His presence has been felt in the lineup as Marshall has won 10 out of 13 games in which the junior has been in the starting lineup. He has posted nine double-digit scoring efforts, topped off by his 20-point, 1-rebound performance in a 95-65 home win over Southern Miss.
Thomas has also been one of the top defensive players in the league, holding some of the top players in the league below their season averages.
Joining Thomas on the five-man All-Academic team were Connor Frizzelle and Lucas Kuipers of Rice, Colling Mangrum of SMU and Isaac Sosa from UCF. Thomas posted the second-highest GPA on this year’s All-Academic team.
Since entering C-USA in 2005, one other Marshall player has been named to the team. Adam Williams was honored with the award in 2009.