Delta State University

Shameka Russell Thomas is in her fourth season on the Delta State women’s basketball coaching staff and her third as an assistant coach under Head Coach Craig Roden.  Her duties include post player development, opponent scouting, recruiting coordinator and academic coordinator.

In 2015-2016, Thomas helped lead the Lady Statesmen to their 16th Gulf South Conference championship and 29th NCAA Tournament berth. DSU finished 22-7 overall while senior guard Chelsey Rhodes was named GSC Player of the Year, WBCA All-American, and NCAA DII South Region Player of the Year.

Under Thomas's guidance, Senaca Walton earned GSC Player of the Year and First-Team All-GSC in 2013-14. Walton again earned First-Team All-GSC honors while teammate Rhandi Ball was named Second-Team All-GSC in 2014-15. The Lady Statesmen led the nation in field goal pecentage defens (33.4) and points allowed per game (53.3) in 2013-14.

Thomas is a native to the women's basketball program at Delta State as she played three years for the Lady Statesmen. In her career at Delta State, Thomas played three seasons with the Lady Statesmen under Coach Sandra Rushing, playing in 97 games with 40 starts in her career. She achieved a career .455 field-goal percentage, a .345 3-point field goal percentage, and a .701 free throw percentage.

She ended her career with 735 points scored, 353 rebounds, 71 assists, and 15 blocked shots. Thomas was a member of the 2008-2009 season, which saw Delta State women’s basketball named the Gulf South Conference Champions, NCAA South Region Champions, and an NCAA Division II appearance in the Final Four.

She spent her freshman season as a forward at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammnond, La. 

Thomas spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Central Arkansas where she worked under Head Coach Sandra Rushing. Her responsiblities included recruiting coordinator, opponent scouting, team travel and academic coordinator.

During her UCA stint, post player Megan Herbert was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year. 

Thomas graduated from Delta State University 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in social justice and criminology and later completed her master’s degree in sports administration and human performance from Delta State in 2012.

She recently married Darrius Thomas on May 14, 2016. The couple resides in Cleveland.