Norfolk State star Jamarii Thomas, the MEAC Player of the Year, is transferring to VCU
The Norfolk State men’s basketball team lost its top producer from last season to the transfer portal late Tuesday night.
Jamarii Thomas — the MEAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year who also earned All-MEAC first-team and defensive-team honors — announced on social media he would transfer to VCU.
Thomas’ commitment to VCU marks the end of a month-long recruitment process after he reportedly entered the portal on April 1, just five days after Norfolk State won the CollegeInsider Tournament.
Thomas had a career year in his lone season at Norfolk State. The junior from Greensboro, North Carolina, notched career highs in almost every statistical category, including 16.9 points per game, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 40% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.
That jump in production led to several programs vying for Thomas’ talent. On3’s Jamie Shaw reported Thomas heard from high-major programs like Iowa, Cal, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Cincinnati and Arizona the day after he hit the portal.
VCU ultimately beat out all of those schools, and more, and landed Thomas’ commitment right before the transfer portal closed.
Thomas played a key role in Norfolk State’s upset win over VCU last season. He finished with a team-high 17 points in the 63-60 win, Norfolk State’s first over the Rams since 1972.
VCU will be Thomas’ third school, something that is becoming more common in this era of college sports. He initially transferred to Norfolk State after two seasons at UNC Wilmington.
Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com
