-- Story provided by Hope College Athletics --

Hope College's Evan Thomas has joined a select group of Hope College men's basketball student-athletes as an Academic All-American.

The senior forward is a member of the 2022-23 Academic All-America® men's basketball teams as selected by the College Sports Communicators.

Thomas is among six first-team honorees and 15 named to the NCAA Division III Academic All-America® overall. 

The biology major from Okemos, Michigan (Okemos HS) is the Flying Dutchmen's third Academic All-American in men's basketball — joining Harrison Blackledge (2017) and Ben Gardner (2016).

Head coach Greg Mitchell said Thomas is the definition of an elite student-athlete.

"His ability to laser focus on the task at hand, whether that be his academic requirements or the athletic opportunities, has been incredible," Mitchell said. "On top of that, he has been a tremendous leader on the court and around campus and has represented Hope Basketball with class and integrity. 

"Evan came to Hope with some lofty goals and I'm proud to say that he put in the work to see those goals become a reality. He's a very special young man who will continue to thrive as he enters Medical School this fall at the University of Michigan."

This season, Thomas battled through two injuries to help the Flying Dutchmen reach the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament and win the MIAA Tournament. Thomas led Hope in scoring at 15.7 points per game over 20 games.

Thomas wrapped up his Hope career this season as the 15th-ranked all-time leading scorer in the Flying Dutchmen's history. 

The 6-4 Thomas totaled 1,363 career points in 85 games for an average of 16.0 points per game.

Thomas earned All-MIAA First Team honors for the second consecutive season as a senior. He also was named the MIAA"s Most Valuable Player as a junior.