Two RI natives find new college basketball teams for next season

Two former Interscholastic League basketball standouts have found new college homes.

Tedrick Wilcox has committed to Hampton and Sebastian Thomas has committed to Albany. Both players announced their decisions via social media on Monday.

Wilcox will have one season remaining after spending the last two at St. Francis Brooklyn. Thomas retains two years of eligibility after playing the first half of his career at the University of Rhode Island.

Wilcox is a Pawtucket native who prepped at Tolman High and Rocky Hill. Thomas is a Providence native who started at Bishop Hendricken and debuted with the Rams in 2021-22. Both ran on the grassroots circuit with RI Elite.

Wilcox led the Terriers in scoring last season with 11.3 points per game. He tied for the team-high in steals with 35 and finished second in assists with 60. Wilcox started in each of his 29 appearances with St. Francis Brooklyn, which announced it will cease sponsoring Division I athletics beginning in 2023-24.

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Wilcox shot 36.7% from 3-point range over two seasons with the Terriers. His significant improvements from the 2021-22 campaign included more than doubling his assist rate to 16.8% and raising both his free-throw rate and steal percentage. Wilcox hit double figures 14 times last season and collected 20 points or more four times — his 18 points on 5-for-10 shooting against Miami came at the expense of an eventual Final Four team.

Wilcox is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who started his college career with two seasons at Division II Dominican. He entered the transfer portal after the 2020-21 campaign and will exercise his COVID-19 year as offered by the NCAA. Wilcox will be immediately eligible for the Pirates, who are looking to rebuild after an 8-24 finish last season.

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Thomas averaged 5.9 points and led URI with 88 assists in 2022-23. He made 31 appearances and also ranked third in steals with 29. Thomas was in the starting lineup in each of the last seven games for the Rams.

Thomas featured an assist rate of more than 25% in each of his two years with URI. His career-high of 10 came in a double-double against Texas State, as Thomas added 13 points in the first victory with the Rams for head coach Archie Miller. Thomas expected to take a redshirt year in 2021-22 but wound up making three starts.

Thomas is a 6-foot-1 point guard who was named All-State and the Division I Player of the Year with the Hawks in 2019-20. He prepped at Hoosac School before enrolling with URI and should be immediately eligible as a one-time transfer. Thomas will compete in the same America East conference that features multiple programs a comfortable driving distance from home in Bryant, UMass Lowell and New Hampshire.

bkoch@providencejournal.com  

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sebastian Thomas heads to Albany; Tedrick Wilcox will play for Hampton