HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- Passionate, emotional and real are just a few words to describe the first impression made by new Hampton head men's basketball coach Ivan Thomas during his introduction Wednesday.
The university and basketball program, of course, hope the new head coach can help the Pirates turn things around and fill the Convocation Center. During his opening remarks, however, his passion filled up the building all by itself. Thomas is a Norfolk native and Norview graduate who is happy to be coming home.
"My head coach, Ed Cooley, would used to get tired of me saying 'Oh my God, 757, if you say that one more time,'" Thomas smiled. "I'm proud to be from here. I am. I say we've got a different edge to us."
Thomas's dream of becoming a Division I head coach is now realized, with plenty of work to come. He spent the last nine years as an assistant coach with Providence and Georgetown on Cooley's staff, the man who plucked him out of Kecoughtan High School's gym and began grooming him for the next level in 2015, just a few miles from where Wednesday's press conference took place.
"He said 'I think you belong in college basketball. You have the right mentality and pedigree to be a head coach,'" Thomas said of Cooley's initial pitch. "Over nine years, I kind of worked towards that."
A 13-year high school head coach at Edison, T.C. Williams and Kecoughtan, Thomas wears his passion on his sleeve. He says that will carry over into how his team plays as he works to develop a winning culture and program.
"My tag line is we're going to be unbreakable," he noted. "Unbreakable means you're going to be mentally tough to handle whatever goes on on the floor and off the floor, but we're going to be physically tough, too."
"It's more about how we're going to develop young men and create a culture in the program," added Hampton Director of Athletics Anthony Henderson, who said Thomas checked all the boxes he was looking for. "As you can see during his speech, I think he's pretty good at developing culture and building young men, so I think we hit a home run."
One of the new head coach's main goals is to hit a home run with the fanbase as well. Thomas told the crowd on hand that he hopes to see at least five thousand Pirate faithful at every game and the work he'll put in to get that done starts now.
"You're going to find me in the cafeteria starting tomorrow," he pointed out. "You're going to find me in the dorms, you're going to find my guys helping the student-athletes move in. We want to create an atmosphere here at Hampton, not only for the student body, I want my high schoolers to come."
It's a new era of Hampton basketball, ushered in by a fitting welcome and with plenty of optimism for what's to come.
"Today has been really, really impactful for me and I know for Ivan, because you saw the emotion when he was up on the podium," Henderson said. "I think it's special."
Thomas signed off the special day in emphatic fashion.
"Hampton University, it's time to go to work."
Prior to his jump to college athletics, Thomas led Edison High School's basketball team from 2002-2005 and T.C. Williams from 2005-2008, leading the latter to a state championship during his final season. He returned to Hampton Roads to become the head coach a Kecoughtan, a position he held from 2008-2015. Players also learned from him as head coach of the Boo Williams 17U AAU team for 13 years.
Thomas replaces Buck Joyner, who did not have his contract renewed following the season. Joyner guided the Pirates for 15 years. Hampton finished the 2023-2024 campaign with a 9-24 overall record, 3-15 in the CAA.
The new head coach has also worked quickly to get his coaching staff in place. He announced four of his assistants during Wednesday's press conference, three of whom were present. Greg Fahey was on the Georgetown staff with Thomas, Brian Graves is joining the Pirates from Virginia State and Calvin Cage is coming to Hampton from Buffalo. Mike Carr, who previously served on the staff at Rice, will be his director of basketball operations.
