It is one thing meeting a Gasol while an added gem is getting to play with one as not many players get that special opportunity. I had the pleasure of really meeting Pau Gasol once and then seeing him again briefly another time. The first time was in 2019 during the playoff series between Boston and Milwaukee in Boston. Pau Gasol was actually injured, but made the trip to support his teammates. I had a meeting to interview assistant coach Charles Lee, a guy I had covered a decade earlier when he was a professional player in Germany. So there I was interviewing Charles and practicing small talk with him after the interview in the hotel restaurant when all of a sudden Pau Gasol walked in. For me it was definitely an awe moment. I mean, it isn´t everyday that you see a legend like that in an arena in Germany even though I had met Dirk Nowitzki and Detlef Schrempf in Germany before, but Pau Gasol was at that level. Gasol surely is one of the top 3 greatest Europeans to have ever played in the NBA. I asked Charles if I could go to him and he said sure go ahead. I went to Gasol´s table as he wasn´t alone, but with some Spanish friends. I sat down and talked a bit and got a few autographs for friends and a picture. It was a great moment. I saw him again 2 years later in Cologne before the Euroleague Final 4 when he was active with FC Barcelona and got the Boston picture signed. I saw him twice for a moment, but imagine actually being the teammate of a Gasol. Current Alba Berlin American Matt Thomas (195-SG-1994, college: Iowa St.) had that opportunity. He wasn´t teammates with Pau, but with brother Marc. Even if Pau may be the better known, Marc had an incredible career that spawned 14 seasons in the NBA where he won one NBA title and was a 3 time allstar. He also was known as being the best passing big man during his prime. So being able to be his teammate is something any player would forever remember. “ Marc was incredible. I loved to be his teammate. We were able to connect in that we had some common ground. He is from Spain and I played 2 seasons there. I learned a lot from him. The most important thing that I learned from him was that you can have a routine, but you shouldn´t live and die by it. So many things can change. You need to go with the flow and roll with the punches. That was something he always had in his mind and I took that with me”, remembered Matt Thomas.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Pau Gasol in Boston in May 2019

Matt Thomas who lists NBA player Buddy Hield as his toughest opponent in the NCAA was born on August 4, 1994 in Decatur, Illinois and grew up in Onalaska, Wisconsin. He suffered a major tragedy when he was 9 years old when his fathered died of suicide. Because of this, he formed a very strong relationship with his mother. He played at Onalaska high school and was an incredible player. He won the division state championship in his junior year leading his team to a 27-1 record and averaged 21,3ppg, 5,3rpg, 2,5apg and 2,1spg. He once scored 50 points in a game in only 2,5 quarters against Tomah. He finished his high school career with a 95-12 record and was a 2 time first team all state pick and scored over 2,000 points. He was a top-100 national recruit and was considered to be one of the best shooters in the country and one of the best players from Wisconsin in the class of 2013. He had many offers, but chose Iowa State where he played a total of 136 games. In his first 2 years he averaged 21and 15 minutes averaging 5.5ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.1apg, and 4.9ppg, 2.0rpg. His minutes rose to 33 and 30 in his last 2 seasons as his role increased and he averaged 10.9ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 89.2% and 12.3ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 44.5%, FT: 89.1%. He reached the NCAA tournament each season and reached 2 NCAA Sweet 16´s and won 3 Big 12 titles. “I would say the last Big 12 title was the most memorable. I had a bigger role and more of an impact at the NCAA tournament. I had been together many years with guys like Monte Morris and Naz Long which made winning that one more special”, stated Matt Thomas. He scored 25 points against Kansas State and Oklahoma State and 23 points against Texas Tech. He wouldn´t have become the player he did when he departed in 2017 without the guidance of coaches Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm. “Both were good coaches, but different. Hoiberg had played in the NBA for 10 years and had that NBA mentality. I learned a lot about the routine and how to become better as a player. I learned shooting routines and how to play without the ball in my hands. I learned to be able to take different kinds of shots on the move. When coach Prohm arrived, I had a bigger role, more minutes and more responsibility. That was great for my confidence. He was a defensive minded coach. I improved my defense and had to guard the other team´s best perimeter player. I had never done that before, but I embraced it. I often had to match up against Buddy Hield who in college played like a Steph Curry. He was a tough match up and being able to compete against a guy like that was awesome”, stressed Matt Thomas who remembers beating Naz Long more than losing to him in 1-1 battles in practice. He was a All-Big 12 Honorable Mention twice and made the Big 12 All-Tournament Team in 2017.

The 195cm shooting guard who names Naz Long, Sam Van Rossom, Mike Tobey, Aaron Doornekamp, Kyle Lowery, OG Anunoby, Coby White, Yannick Wetzell, Jose (Pepe) Pozas, and Marius Grigonis as his best teammates of all-time experienced NBA Summer League in 2017 with the Los Angeles Lakers averaging 9.6ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 62.2%. He then made the trek overseas and played his rookie season in Europe´s top national league in Spain called ACB. He played 30 ACB games and scored in double figures 25 times including 30 points against Andorra and 30 and 29 points against Estudiantes. He played twice against top Euroleague team Real Madrid scoring 14 points once. It was the last season where Luka Doncic played in Europe before heading to the NBA. Doncic had solid games in the wins, but not great games. Has his magic and success in the NBA surprised Thomas? “I´m not surprised. He had a different role with Real Madrid and the Euro game is different than the NBA. He was 17-18 years old and was the MVP of the Euroleague. I mean that was a big deal. The way he was able to adapt so quickly to the NBA and have success was remarkable. With what he did at 17 then, anything was possible. He was playing with grown men and was the leader of the team. You just don´t see that often and it could be a long time before we see that again”, warned Matt Thomas. In his second season he remained in the ACB playing with Valencia Basket (Spain-Liga ACB) averaging 11.4ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 54.5%, 3PT-3 (48.5%), FT: 84.6% and in the Eurocup averaged 12.7ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 57.3%, 3PT: 47.7%, FT: 90.9%. It was his most successful season overseas as he helped win the Eurocup title with great character guys like Aaron Doornekamp, Will Thomas and Sam Van Rossom. “That was a very special team. We had a lot of talent and possibly the most that season in the Eurocup. We had no ego´s and a good chemistry. But what was also important was that we liked to hang out together off the court. I think that bond translated well on to the court. I still keep in touch with those guys especially Mike Tobey. We were all competitive guys and put our agendas aside and all wanted to win. It was a fun year”, added Matt Thomas. He scored in double figures in 20 of 29 games including scoring 27 points against FC Barcelona and Joventut and in the Eurocup scored in double figures in 16 of 23 games including scoring 22 points against Zenit and 20 points against Dolomiti.

The Three point specialist who lists Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, and Steve Nash on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore then made the jump over the pond and celebrated 3 seasons in the NBA playing 126 games with Toronto, Utah and Chicago. Guys that come overseas usually have a wake up moment to being there for the first time, but how was it for him in the NBA? “Some guys share a moment and experience, but I don´t really have one. When I was a kid growing up in the States, my dream was to play in the NBA. I remember watching the NBA on ABC. I was a Laker fan and my favorite player was Kobe Bryant. My biggest moment was playing that first time at the Staple Center where the Lakers play. Other big moments was being able to play against guys that I looked up to growing up. One of those guys is JJ Reddick. We have many similarities with our stature and game. I try to play like him. I was able to work out with him during the summer after my second year in the NBA. That was a big moment for me”, commented Matt Thomas. He played his first season in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. He scored in double figures 7 times including 22 points in a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. “I think the biggest moment my rookie season was just playing games in Toronto. I began in Toronto the season when Covid hit. I came in the year after they won the title. The fan base was incredible there”, expressed Matt Thomas. In his second season he split time with the Toronto Raptors playing 25 games averaging 2.8ppg, and with the Utah Jazz (NBA) playing 22 games averaging 3.1ppg, 1.1rpg. He scored in double figures 3 times including 17 points in a 154-105 blow out win over Sacramento where he went 7/7 from the field. He was fortunate to have been coached by Nick Nurse who had to pay his dues before becoming a NBA coach the same way Thomas did before becoming a NBA player. “It was a good experience being able to play for him. We also had some common ground in that he comes from Iowa and I played at Iowa State. We had a similar background. He had had a long past before becoming an NBA coach and I went to Europe before reaching the NBA. He was good for me. He gave me a lot of confidence. He always told me to aggressive and shoot. He was a defensive minded coach and I improved my defense a lot under him. A lot of his defensive principles have helped my game”, stated Matt Thomas. He finished his second NBA season with the Utah Jazz and was fortunate to be teammates with Ersan Ilyasova who soon would retire after a stellar career. “He signed a 10 day with Chicago the next season and we were teammates again. He was great. He was a high level pro that had tons of success. He kept to himself, but he was cool and could be funny at times. He had a good career”, said Matt Thomas. He played his last NBA season with the Chicago Bulls playing 39 games averaging 4.1ppg, 1.3rpg. He scored in double figures in 4 games including 13 points against Memphis. After his third season, he was at a point where he had to choose between trying to continue the NBA dream or heading back overseas. He surely could of found another NBA team. Was his desire for a new challenge overseas to great? “Yes and no. I waited for a while trying to stay in the NBA and that is why I signed so late in Greece last year. I was a specialist and had a role and that was a challenge. I didn´t get huge minutes and wanted to be playing in close games in the fourth quarter. At that time in my career, I had the idea of coming back to Europe or staying in the NBA, but coming back to Europe made the most sense. I wanted to find a consistent role and develop into the player I know I can be. I feel like being able to play for Alba Berlin has been the right choice”, warned Matt Thomas.

The ex Iowa State sniper who lists Kobe Bryant as his GOAT came back overseas mid way through the 2022-2023 season and played with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (Greece-GBL) averaging 8.1ppg, 2.0rpg, FGP: 56.3%, 3PT: 40.5%, FT: 75.0% in the Euroleague. It was a tough season on the court whereas off the court things were different. “I think that I had my best memories off the court. I came midway through the season and they were having a tough stretch. The atmosphere when I was there wasn´t that great. They are playing well again now so that atmosphere is back again. Their fan base is great though. I was very recognizable when I was there and they always supported me. Greece and also Serbia basketball is like a religion. They live and breathe basketball. It is at another level”, added Matt Thomas. He scored in double figures 4 times in the Euroleague including netting 13 points against his ex team Valencia. This season he is playing for Alba Berlin in the rising easyCredit BBL and has recognized differences between that and the ACB. “Every league that I have played in overseas has been different. I can´t really comment on Greece since I only played 1 game in the Greek league, but I can comment on Spain and Germany. The BBL is more physical than the ACB, while the ACB was faster and more tactical. There are many very skilled players in Germany. Every season no matter where I play, I just try to improve and add to my game. Since returning back to Europe, I´m trying to become that player I know I can be. I have been able to shoot the ball well at a high level and especially this season, I draw a lot of attention to myself in the Euroleague and BBL which has allowed me to become more of a facilitator. I have enjoyed this”, commented Matt Thomas. In the NBA he battled against Sterling Brown many times and now are teammates and is more than thrilled with the opportunity. “Sterling is a very experienced player and did a good job adapting quickly to overseas ball. I´m impressed most about his professionalism and hard work he puts in every day. It isn´t a coincidence that he played many years in the NBA and then gets signed by a well known organization like Alba Berlin”, expressed Matt Thomas. He has needed no adjustment time in the easyCredit BBL as currently he is averaging 13,0ppg, 2,5rpg and 1,8apg while shooting 46% from outside while in the Euroleague he is averaging 9,1ppg, 2,0rpg and 1,5apg while shooting 41% from outside. It has been a tough season for Alba Berlin this season as after many winning seasons and titles in the last years are in last place in the Euroleague and only 4th in the BBL. But he is making the best out of the situation. “The season has definitely been a challenge. We haven´t met the expectations in the Euroleague or BBL. But I feel like there is still a big chunk of the season left where we can still improve and finish the season strong. I´m a competitive player and it´s been tough losing games, but at the same time, I remain positive and keep working hard. I have been more of a lead by example guy in my career, but this season with Alba Berlin, I have been vocal. I have really enjoyed being able to do that”, stressed Matt Thomas. It will be interesting to see where the journey goes with Alba as currently the teams from 4th-8th all have 14 wins as it is a real dog fight for the playoff spots. Thomas has won at many levels and knows how to win and will do all he can so Alba Berlin finish the season as best as possible.