Montréal, QC – The Montréal Alliance announced Wednesday that Sheray Thomas, head coach of Lakeland College men’s basketball team in Lloydminster, AB, has been named assistant coach, in charge of player development for the 2022 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. 

Thomas has spent the last seven seasons building the Lakeland Rustlers men’s basketball program into a national contender. He was first appointed as assistant coach in 2013, before being promoted to head coach in 2015. At Lakeland, Thomas has since won a provincial silver medal in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) in 2017-2018, which led to a Top 8 showdown in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) the same post-season. Most recently, Thomas led the Rustlers to earn an ACAC bronze medal during the 2021-2022 season.   

“I am excited for the opportunity to assist in the basketball development of the Montréal Alliance,” said Thomas. “I would like to thank Joel Anthony, Annie Larouche and Vincent Lavandier for allowing me to be apart of the staff. It is a dream to work with a professional basketball program just minutes away from where I grew up in Lasalle. With the support and excitement of our community, this can truly be a special time for basketball in Montréal.”

A native of Montréal, Thomas attended Lasalle Catholic Comprehensive High School before having an opportunity to play high school basketball in the United States. Thomas left home at the age of 15 to attend Riverdale Baptist School, a private school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Thomas was a key player during his time with the Riverdale Baptist Crusaders, resulting in a very successful high school career. In 2003, he graduated as the school’s All-Time Leading Scorer and nationally ranked as a Top-100 prospect.

Thomas committed to the University of Kentucky, where he earned a full scholarship and spent the next four seasons, being tagged with 16 starts and playing in 117 games. The Kentucky Wildcats won an SEC Championship (2003-2004), had an Elite 8 appearance (2004-2005) and made the NCAA Tournament all four seasons. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2007 with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree. 

In 2007, Thomas went on to play in the 1st Division Swiss Basketball League (SBL) for Starwings Basket in Basel, Switzerland. There, he was named All-Swiss second team (2007-2008) and received an Honorable Mention (2008-2009). In 2012, Thomas joined the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). He was named NBL All-Canada First Team (2012-2013) with the Saint John Mill Rats (currently the Saint John Riptide). His professional career included stints with Starwings Basket (2007-2009, 2010-2011), BC Boncourt in Boncourt, Switzerland (2009-2010), the Montréal Jazz (NBL) in Montréal, QC (2012) and with the Saint John Mill Rats (2012-2013). 

Thomas also played for Canada Basketball U19 Men’s National Team in 2004 and Canada Basketball Men’s National Team at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007. 

Prior to joining Lakeland College, Thomas served as Basketball Coordinator at the Lasalle Boys & Girls Club in 2012. Thomas has over a decade of combined experience as a personal basketball trainer, coach and mentor. Thomas founded “Better Than Yesterday” in 2013, an organization specifically geared towards student-athletes with a desire to succeed on and off the court. 

Thomas completes the Alliance coaching staff for the 2022 season and will oversee player development as an assistant to Head Coach Vincent Lavandier. Visit https://www.alliancemontreal.ca/en-ca/season-memberships-2022 to get your season membership starting at $22.50 per game and for more information.

About the Montréal Alliance

The Montréal Alliance is a professional basketball team competing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The team will play all their home games at the newly renovated Verdun Auditorium. The Alliance opens their inaugural season May 25 against the Honey Badgers in Hamilton. The season, comprised of 10 home games and 10 road games, ends August 1 when the team faces the BlackJacks in Ottawa. Get your season membership and find more information about the team at www.alliancemontreal.ca and on our social media platforms, on Instagram (@alliancemontreal), Twitter (@mtl_alliance), LinkedIn and Facebook (Montréal Alliance). 

About the CEBL

The CEBL begins its fourth season in May. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, more than 75 percent of its players during the past three seasons were Canadian, the highest percentage of any professional league in the country. CEBL players bring experience from the NBA, the NBA G League, top NCAA programs, the Canadian National team program, top international leagues as well as U SPORTS. All CEBL regular season games will be broadcast live on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports mobile app and CEBL+. Additional information about the league is available at www.cebl.ca. 

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Zachary Favreau

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