FARMVILLE – There’s no denying Ronnie Thomas stands out. “A string bean with a bow tie,” is how Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich describes his assistant. But it isn’t just Thomas’s bold fashion statement that has helped the former Bridgewater College basketball player climb through the college coaching ranks.
The 32-year-old Thomas, who spent five years at Division III Guilford College before joining Aldrich’s Division I Longwood staff, has long made an impression with his basketball savvy, passion for people and tireless work ethic. “Ronnie’s the total package,” said longtime Guilford head coach Tom Palombo. “It’s the X’s and O’s, but it’s also the relationships he developed.
Everyone responds to Ronnie.” That’s been evident since his playing days. Thomas passed on the opportunity to walk on with some low-level Division I programs, preferring to get on the floor and play at Bridgewater.
“Playing was more important to me,” Thomas said. “My competitive nature, I wanted to go play. That’s what led me to Bridgewater.
” He also already had a coaching future in his mind, and former BC head coach Don Burgess had played and coached at the D-I level. “He had been where I wanted to go,” Thomas said. The Roanoke native, who recently became a first-time father, served as a captain for three years at Bridgewater.
He started 86 of the 99 games he played over four seasons, amassing 880 points, 390 rebounds, 315 assists and 154 steals. Thomas .
