Coach Gregory Thomas Biograpy

Coach Gregory Thomas, a native of Columbia, Missouri, has family roots in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Fulton, Missouri. He was taught to always have faith in God, outwork the opposition, and be a man of character, integrity, and family. Early on, he developed a passion for basketball, education, and serving his country.

Gregory Thomas excelled academically, graduating from Rock Bridge High School and Post University with an Associate of Arts in Sports Management. Throughout his education, he also served as a Chief Petty Officer on active duty in the United States Navy, where he has dedicated 24 years and continues to serve.

His basketball career began in high school varsity at Rock Bridge High School. He continued playing overseas in Japan for the Atsugi Naval Base Team and even played semi-professional football as a running back for the Bellingham Bulldogs in Bellingham, WA.

Coach Thomas's desire to give back to his community led him to start his coaching career. In 2005-2006, he began coaching junior varsity at Zama High School on an army base, leading the team to its first winning season in over a decade. From 2007-2013, he served as a varsity assistant coach at Oak Harbor High School. From 2014-2017, he was the head coach at Irving Middle School in Norman, OK, where he won back-to-back championships at the 7th and 8th grade levels.

His AAU coaching career began with Norman Elite (2015-2017), where his teams won multiple championships and were ranked as the top team in Oklahoma. After transferring to California, he coached the CBA Ballers (Moreno Valley) for the 12u-14u teams, achieving dominance in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles.

In 2020, the Navy transferred him to Aurora, Colorado, where he became the eighth-grade head coach at Aurora Hills Middle School. He led the team to an undefeated regular season and a near-championship finish. He then moved to Cherokee Trail High School, where he served as the freshman head coach during the 2022-23 season, achieving a 16-3 record and winning the 6A Centennial League Championship. In 2023-24, he was promoted to Junior Varsity head coach, leading the team to a 16-3 record and another 6A Junior Varsity Centennial League Championship.

Coach Thomas also founded the CBA Ballers Colorado Chapter (2021-2024), serving as the director and head coach for the 13u, 14u, and 15u teams, winning championships at multiple tournaments both in and out of state. CBA Ballers is part of the Prep Hoops Circuit and Recruit Looks Circuit.

Coach Thomas is married with three children and believes that leading by example is the key to success at home, on the basketball court, and in life.