Lamonte Thomas has had a successful professional career in Spain and Germany.

Guard - Lamonte Thomas
Johnson and Wales
2008 - 2012

All-American selections: 2011 (2nd), 2012 (4th)

All-Region selections: 2011 (1st), 2012 (2nd)

Conference MVP: 2011

Other honors: Division III's fourth all-time leading scorer (2,740 points)

NCAA Tournament appearance: 2011 (second round)

From the archives

• Thomas discusses Play for Peace tour on WPRI (YouTube, June 2019)
• Thomas scores 38 as JWU falls to No. 20 Albertus (February 2012)
• Thomas spectacular in JWU's upset win over Ramapo (March 2011)
• Wildcats win GNAC title thanks to Thomas' 33 points (Feb. 2011)

What others say: “Lamonte was simply special, with a desire to win and compete at all cost. He approached practice everyday in the exact manner how he wanted to play. At a high level at all times. He was a ferocious player and unafraid of the moment. I could always talk about his 40 points and 20 assist game vs powerhouse Albertus Magnus in a semifinal performance. My most memorable moment is the 1st round NCAA tournament game a week later. The moment was when an opposing player mistook one of our players for Lamonte. Before walking on the practice floor and Lamonte informed me, 'Coach they are going to remember my name and we're going to win tomorrow night.' He went out the next evening and scored 43 points and dished out nine assists. After the game, he gave me a hug to remember and then whispered in my ear 'They know me now.' My reply, was 'Yes they do, yes they do.' ”

In their own words: "Every day I think about college and how it’s molded me. Those tough learning experiences with Coach Benton, when I think about it, it was all to make me be prepared for anything on and off the court. Even though it was D-III I had the best college experiences. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. My teammates and I road a wave you had to be there to understand. Leading the NCAA for two straight years and it felt so normal because of all the work I put in. Id thank to thank everyone across the way who helped me on this journey. With all the success came a lot of pain and sacrifice. But at the end of the day it was all worth it. Thank you Coach Benton for giving me and opportunity and never giving up on me, thank you Johnson and Wales for giving me a place I can call home forever!"

Where they are now: Thomas has played professionally in Germany, Qatar, Portugal and Spain, including leading Germany and Spain in scoring, dropping 54 points in a game in Germany and winning a title with Alcazar de San Juan. But basketball is hardly the only thing Thomas has going on. "In 2016 I started a foundation called The Play for Peace Tour," Thomas said. "It was created to inspire youth and adults through basketball and educational programs and innovative learning. In 2020 I wrote the first of my kids' book series with my mom as the co-author: Little Lamont. The book is available on Amazon at Little Lamont: Doubt is Motivation. Lamont is a relatable student athlete kids can relate too that is going through adversity and challenges to reach his goals making his team.

"I also started my own granola bar company called What The Teff. I’m introducing a grain to most of the USA. The grain brown teff nickname is a 'miracle grain.' The grain that originates in Ethiopia. No carbs or fats in the grain but so many nutritional benefits from iron protein fiber magnesium and zinc. The bar is special – I took the grain 20 minutes before my games this year. The endurance they give you is amazing!"

Career synopsis: A local kid, unheralded in high school, even in tiny Rhode Island, Thomas made good on the court, as a pro, and in community service.

Thomas didn't make all-state in high school and he wasn't recruited by any scholarship programs. But he was very familiar with Johnson and Wales before he enrolled. "When I was young, I came to watch games [here]," Thomas recalled in an JWU alumni magazine profile. "I was a kid from South Providence. I wanted to play college basketball, and when I got the chance at JWU, it was a big deal for me." 

It was a big deal for JWU, too, because Thomas was the best player in program history and one of the best scorers ever in Division III basketball. 

Thomas scored 2,740 points, which was fourth most all-time in Division III. More than a third of those points came in his junior year, when Johnson & Wales burst out of the GNAC into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats made the tournament by beating Albertus Magnus in the GNAC semifinals. Thomas went 11-for-15 from the floor and 18-for-20 from the free throw line en route to scoring 40 points, while adding 20 assists, and six rebounds. Thomas scored 33 of his team's 76 points in the GNAC finals win against St. Joseph's (Maine), which earned the Wildcats a road game at Ramapo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That night Thomas proved he was not just a big fish in a small pond and evinced the talent that would make him a solid pro for the past decade. Thomas tallied 43 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals over 44 minutes as the Wildcats upset the Roadrunners in overtime, 114-108.

His senior season, Thomas averaged 34.1 points per game, the eighth-highest total in NCAA history. Thomas shot 48.5% from the field that season, including 37.6% from beyond the arc (59-for-157), and 83.5% from the line (202-for-242). He remains the Johnson & Wales career record holder in nine statistical categories.  

The first in his family to graduate from high school, Thomas continues to inspire young people with basketball camps throughout the state and showcase events to expose Rhode Island talent to a wider audience. When asked in a Providence Journal feature about his community service, Thomas said, "It’s all about giving back. It’s all about doing something for kids the way other people once did for me.”