Scoring phenomenon second in name only

Top import IImar’I Thomas was the first woman in the Tauihi league to score over 300 points and was named to the Tauihi All-Star Five after averaging a league-high 26.5 points per game. 
In 2023 Thomas drove the Northern Kāhu to the championship with a dominant 11-3 record. In the 98-72 win against the Tokomanawa Queens in the grand final, Thomas dropped 31 points and 11 rebounds. The Oakland, California native is back this season and hungry for more success.
The Kāhu have made a strong start to the defence of their title with wins over Southern Hoiho (87-78), the Whai (87-75) and Tokomanawa Queens (75-72) in the opening three rounds.
Thomas has scored 48 points and fetched 27 rebounds in those outings, the most significant of which was the narrow win over the Queens on October 13. 
“That was expected against Queens. They’re tough and well-coached. They won the first championship. We won last year. There’s no quarter given. We respect them and every team in this league. It’s a tough competition,” Thomas said. 
Tahlia Tupaea finished the low-scoring contest with a game-high 24 points, including five triples. 
On Saturday, the Kāhu lost to Mainland Pouākai 88-79 at Cowles Stadium. Christchurch. All five Pouākai starters scored double figures – the visitors leading 57-38 in the third quarter until Thomas went berserk. 
Combining brute force and grace, Thomas scored a league-record 37 points as the Kāhu sliced the deficit to two with 90 seconds remaining. A massive three-pointer by Esra McGoldrick and accurate free-throw shooting eventually settled a memorable tussle.
“Pouākai are really well balanced. You have to front up at the offensive and defensive end to get the dub,” Thomas observed. 
The two teams clash again at Eventfinda in Auckland at 7.30 pm on Friday.
Thomas is well-versed in the language, attitude, habits and excellence of a professional basketballer. She was going to take the summer of 2023 off after winning the Naisten Korisliiga championship with Torpa Poikien in Finland. 
‘ToPo’ dominated the league with a 23-1 regular season record, eight wins better than the next team, Peli-Karhut Game Bears whom they whitewashed 3-0 in the finals. The combined score across three games was 287-214. Thomas had a huge season being named Player of the Month in March and averaging 26.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game across the whole year.
“How did I end up in New Zealand? Tera Reed. We played against each other in America and became friends. When she was up in Finland she kept talking about this up-and-coming league,” Thomas explains. 
“I’m always open to exploring new places and that’s how I ended up in Auckland. I love it here. I live close to the water which is not dissimilar to home. The people here are super friendly, our coaching staff is awesome. I only think the Taihui league is going to grow.”
From 2017 to 2021 Thomas grew into a beast at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Recruited after a tournament in Atlanta she helped the Division I NCAA Bearcats achieve consecutive 20-game winning seasons, something not accomplished in two decades.
Her personal accolades were even more impressive. Thomas finished her career as the only player in school history to achieve more than 1,900 career points and 800 career rebounds. She ranked among the programme’s best in multiple career categories, including field goal percentage (first at .581), blocks (second at 131), field goals made (second at 761), points (third at 1,925), rebounds (fourth at 873) and rebound average (tied for eighth at 7.1). 
On February 24, 2021, Thomas scored a record 51 points in a 76-51 win at East Carolina. She went 20 of 27 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. The effort ranked as the most points in a Division I men’s or women’s basketball game in 2020-21. She joined Oscar Robertson as the only player in UC history to score 50 or more points in a game. Robertson accomplished the feat six times.
“Oh, man. The Big O. I still get lost for words when asked about that. I walked past his statue every day, making me proud to have left my mark. It’s properly my greatest individual accomplishment,” Thomas said.
“I try to be a fundamentally sound player. The Big O was that. I’m not a ra-ra type. I just try to get it done.
“I loved my time in Cincinnati. It immediately felt like a family environment and my family trusted that I’d made the right call.  
“Historically UC is known for being a hard-nosed opponent. We retained that essence but tried to play more up-tempo with a press. The programme had been a bit down when I joined. To get multiple 20-win seasons is something I’m really proud of.”
In the 2021-22 season, Thomas transferred to UCLA to be closer to home and complete her masters degree in transformative coaching and leadership. She played in all 31 games for the Bruins finishing as the top points scorer and most accurate shooter. Thomas contributed double-figure points in 27 games.
Her cousin is former NBA player Rod Higgins who played 779 games and held a distinct NBA record for playing for the most teams in one season – four in the 1985–86 season (Seattle Supersonics, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets and the Chicago Bulls, with Michael Jordan).
Part of the IImar’I name is a play on the Roman numeral two, as in the second daughter of Griselda Thomas.
Having come first in the Tauihi league in 2023, she has no interest in being second in 2024.
““Nothing can beat winning a championship. We’ve got a great chemistry again this year with a lot of returning players and some quality recruits,” Thomas says. 
“Having Tahlia Tupaea back has helped us enormously and the newcomers bring such energy and flair to the team. Honestly, I couldn’t choose a standout, Chloe Forster, Bailey Flavell, they’re all outstanding.”