Aki Thomas returns for his third season on the bench for the Retrievers. He had previously served as an assistant coach at Howard University in from 2004-07.  

Thomas played professionally in Venezuela before accepting the position at Howard under then head coach Frankie Allen.  Prior to that, Thomas was a standout for the Bison in 2000-01 when he helped lead the team to an 18-13 mark and the finals of the MEAC Tournament.  Thomas averaged almost 12 points and 8 rebounds per game en route to being named to the All-MEAC second team. 

Before coming to Howard, Thomas played for three seasons at the University of Colorado. His tenure with the Buffaloes was highlighted in the 1998-99 season when he was named to the All-Tournament team of the Puerto Rico Shootout.  He was a member of a pair of CU teams which earned berths to the NIT Tournament and he was selected to the commissioner’s Big 12 All-Academic team. 

Thomas was a two-time league rebounding champion in the Venezuelan LPB League (’03, ’04) and earned the same title during a stint in the Columbian Federation Cup League (’04). 

The New York, N.Y. native played his prep ball at Manhattan Center where he was selected all city his junior and senior seasons.  He was also named Manhattan PSAL Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-America during his senior campaign. 

Thomas received his degree in sociology from Howard in 2002.