With a reputation of finding and developing young talent on the basketball court, Isiah Lord Thomas III was named as the sixth head coach in FIU men’s basketball history when he was introduced to a throng of local and national media during a gathering on April 15, 2009.

“I have no doubt that Isiah Thomas can take us to the highest level,” said FIU Athletic Director Pete Garcia. “He’s not just going to do things for this university but for college basketball in South Florida. We know we’re going to get the entire basketball community of South Florida involved and they’re in for a real treat with Isiah Thomas.”

Thomas, whose professional career included stints as a team executive, a television commentator, owner of the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and President, General Manager and head coach for the New York Knicks, is best know for an outstanding playing career that ultimately saw him named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Thomas' many business ventures and his stint as president of the NBA Players Association groomed him well for life after basketball. After his retirement, he became part owner of the expansion Toronto Raptors, who began play in the NBA in the 1995-96 season. As the team's Executive Vice President, Basketball, Thomas was charged with molding the character of the expansion club, and one of his first moves was to draft a talented, under-sized point guard – Damon Stoudamire, who became Rookie of the Year in 1995-96.

In fact, 11 of the 13 players drafted by Thomas the NBA executive are still active professional players today. Not only has Thomas been instrumental in drafting quality NBA players but as head coach of the Pacers, Thomas helped developed such young NBA players into stars as Jermaine O’Neil, Brad Miller and Ron Artest.

Standing just over 6-feet tall, Thomas was recognized by his peers as one of the grittiest performers to play the game, helping build a last-place Detroit Pistons team into back-to-back NBA champions in the late 1980s.

In 13 years seasons, he became the Detroit franchise's all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played. He made the All-Star Team 12 times and was named NBA Finals MVP in 1990.

Along with Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton, Thomas became the fourth player in NBA history to amass more than 9,000 assists. His 13.9 assists per game in 1984-85 set an NBA record for the highest single-season average ever, until Stockton beat that mark in 1989-90.

Thomas made himself into one of the deadliest shooters of his time, as well as a smart passer and clever playmaker. He combined intelligence, a high basketball IQ and physical attributes to attain NBA superstardom. Off the court, Thomas was also a tireless charity worker known for his compassion and generosity.

Born April 30, 1961 in Chicago, he was the youngest of nine children. His mother, Mary, provided the greatest influence in young Thomas’ life. Her fight to keep her family together and her sons safe despite living in a crime-ridden neighborhood was depicted in the 1989 made-for-television movie, A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story.

Thomas played scholastically at St. Joseph's High School in Westchester, Ill., where he led the team to the state-title game as a junior in 1978. In 1979, he was a member of the gold medal-winning United States team at the Pan-American Games.

That fall Thomas enrolled at Indiana University and averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 assists as a first-year player. In the summer of 1980, Thomas was selected to play on the U.S. Olympic Team, but a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games deprived him of that experience.

As a 19-year-old sophomore, Thomas helped lead the Hoosiers to the 1981 NCAA Championship. Following that season he passed up his final two years of collegiate eligibility and entered the 1981 NBA Draft. Thomas, who had promised his mother he would finish college, kept his word and received his degree in criminal justice six years later – on Mother's Day.

In the 1981 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the second overall pick behind DePaul's Mark Aguirre, a childhood friend who would later became a teammate. After recording the league’s second-worst record a season before (21-61), Thomas helped the Pistons post an 18-game turnaround and climb to third in the Central Division. Thomas had a solid first year, as the team’s point guard, leading the squad in assists (7.8) and steals (150) while averaging 17.0 points per game.

He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team following that season and made the first of 12 straight trips to the NBA All-Star Game.

As a second-year pro, Thomas assumed the role of Pistons’ floor general, leading the team in assists, steals and minutes played. His 22.9 scoring average in 1982-83 was the second-highest on the team and the highest of his career.

Throughout his career, Thomas consistently placed near the top of the league in assists. In 1984-85, he set an all-time record by averaging 13.9 assists. He was selected to the All-NBA first team for three consecutive seasons and was named MVP of the 1984 and 1986 All-Star Games, recorded 15 and 10 assists, respectively.

Thomas and the Pistons reached their pinnacle with a 63-19 record in 1988-89, the best in the league that season. In the playoffs, Detroit beat Boston, Milwaukee and Chicago before sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pistons’ first-ever NBA title.

The Pistons posted a second-straight NBA title in 1989-90, becoming only the second team since the 1968-69 Boston Celtics to win back-to-back crowns, and the sixth team ever to do so.

But through it all, Thomas never forgot his roots. His charity work with educational, anti-crime and anti-poverty programs during his playing career helped pay the college tuitions for more than 75 young people.

Thomas retired with 18,822 points (19.2 ppg), 9,061 assists (9.3 apg), and 1,861 steals over 979 games – all Pistons records. He shot .452 from the field and .759 from the free-throw line.

"This is bigger than basketball and bigger than athletics," said then-FIU president Modesto A. Maidique on the announcement of Thomas’ hiring. "Having a nationally recognized coach like Isiah at FIU will have a positive impact on our university as a whole, helping us achieve additional national exposure."

Thomas and his wife of over twenty years Lynn have two children Joshua and Lauren.