Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night, becoming the 11th women’s basketball player to earn the honor from the university.
Thomas graduated from Maryland in 2014 as one of the most decorated players ever to come through the program. She was a three-time All-American and ACC Player of the Year, becoming the second player in conference history to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley became the third in 2024.
Despite leaving Maryland a decade ago, Thomas is still the Terrapins’ all-time record holder in points, rebounds, made field goals, scoring average and starts. She is one of just three players in program history with at least 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds alongside Marissa Coleman and Crystal Langhorne, who both played for the Terrapins’ 2006 national championship team.
“I truly cannot begin to express the gratitude I have to become a part of such an exclusive and amazing group of Maryland greats,” Thomas said at the ceremony. “Coming to Maryland was one of the best decisions I ever made, and still to this day I’m proud to be a Terp. I carry it with me proudly as I’ve continued on in my professional career.”
Thomas led Maryland to the ACC Tournament championship in 2012 and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 from 2012-14. The Terrapins had their best run with Thomas in 2014, reaching the Final Four as a 4-seed where they were eliminated by Notre Dame in the Final Four. UConn, led by Breanna Stewart, went on to beat the Irish in the 2014 championship game.
They know your name now!
A special walk down memory lane with @athomas_25 as we kick off her induction into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame @TerpsWBB pic.twitter.com/HFqOtkiJn4
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) October 18, 2024
“She’s the greatest, not only in the history of women’s basketball here at Maryland, but even potentially on the men’s side as well,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said in the athletic department’s spotlight of Thomas. “She just put her stamp and her legacy on everything … The kid is just a winner. She’s not just about scoring points. It’s about impacting the game every possession, whether that’s defensively or offensively. That’s what made her so special.”
The Sun selected Thomas No. 4 overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and the superstar forward has spent all 11 seasons of her professional career with the franchise. She has led Connecticut to eight consecutive appearances in the WNBA semifinals, plus two in the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022.
Thomas is one of the most prolific passing forwards the WNBA has ever seen, with 1,463 career assists in just 319 games. She ranks first among active forwards and third all-time behind only Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings and two-time MVP Candace Parker. She holds the WNBA’s career triple-double record by a massive margin with 15, including four in the playoffs. No other player has more than four. Thomas is also the single-season record holder after logging six in 2023, becoming the first player to record more than two triple-doubles in a year.
Thomas averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists for the Sun in 2024, and she also made her Olympic debut with Team USA at the Paris Games. Thomas was one of three first-time Olympians on the team, averaging 3.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in Paris to help the U.S. to its eighth consecutive gold medal.
