Maccabi Haifa signs James Thomas

The Maccabi Bazan Haifa professional basketball team of the Israeli Basketball Super League announced today they have agreed to terms with power forward/center James Thomas for the 2012-13 season. Thomas, 31, played last season in Italy’s second division for Givova Scafati Basket, where he was named 2012 Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 Center of the Year, appearing in 37 games, while tallying 13.2 points, 11.8 rebounds (1st in the league) and 1.3 steals in 30 minutes per game. For the 2010-11 season, Thomas appeared in 30 games for Erdemirspor Belediyesi in Turkey’s top division, and averaged 9.3 points and 10.2 rebounds (1st in the league). The 6-foot-8 center played in Italy’s top division from 2006-2010, where he averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in two out of his four seasons in the first division. For the 2006-07 season, Thomas played 13 games in the Euroleague for Climamio Bologna, posting averages of 10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He also has NBA experience having recorded 33 career games in the NBA from 2004-2006 for the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. “James Thomas is a proven elite rebounder with NBA and international experience,” said Maccabi Bazan Haifa head coach Brad Greenberg. “He is a physical player who is tough and intelligent at both ends of the floor. He is coachable, an unselfish team player and capable of playing either as our center or as a power forward.” “James Thomas is a prolific rebounder and a tough nosed player, who has proven himself year in and year out in some of the best leagues in Europe,” said Maccabi Bazan Haifa owner Jeffrey Rosen. A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Thomas played four years at NCAA Division I University of Texas at Austin from 2000-2004.