University of Massachusets Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2012
- Class:
- 1996
The No. 2 scorer in program history at the time of graduation, Octavia Thomas was a major force in the UMass women's basketball resurgence in the mid-1990's. During her career from 1993-1996, Thomas helped turn a program that had won nine total games in the previous three seasons into a team that made the WNIT and the NCAA tournaments during her junior and senior campaigns.
The forward from Newark, N.J., averaged 15.7 points and 7.9 rebounds over the course of her career. She finished her time at UMass with 1,791 points and is one of just four players to eclipse the 1,500 point barrier. Her 903 rebounds ranks second all-time, while her 173 steals is tied for sixth. One of the most accurate shooters in program history, she is second in field goal percentage (.528) and second in total field goals made (672) and first in free throws made (442).
In 1993, Thomas was named to the All-Rookie Team and was the Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic 10. She earned All-Atlantic 10 First Team honors in 1994 and 1996, while being named to the second team in 1995.
Thomas led UMass to its first-ever postseason berth in 1995 as the Minutewomen qualified for the NIT Tournament posting a 70-61 win over Virginia Commonwealth in the first round. The Minutewomen followed that up in 1996 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Against Michigan State, Thomas scored 21 points in a narrow 60-57 overtime loss in the first round as the ninth-seeded Spartans upset the eighth-seeded Minutewomen.
She was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2012.
