Miryne Thomas (203-F-1999, college: Kent St., agency: Players Group) is a 25 year old 203cm forward from Cleveland, Ohio playing his second professional season with the Nitra Blue Wings (Slovakia-Tipos SBL). He began the season with the Bozic Estriche Knights Kirchheim (Germany-ProA) averaging 12.1ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.4apg, 2FGP: 61.4%, 3FGP: 36.4%, FT: 84.8%. Last season he played with the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders (United Kingdom-BBL) averaging 12.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 62.5%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 78.2 and then played with the Ottawa Blackjacks (Canada-CEBL) averaging 6.7ppg, 2.3rpg, FGP: 76.9%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 69.2%. He began his basketball career with Cleveland Central Catholic High School and then played his freshman year with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (NCAA) averaging 11.2ppg, 7.7rpg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 16.3%, FT: 64.2%. He then played 2 seasons with Ball State University (NCAA) averaging 3.0ppg, 1.7rpg, 7.3ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 56.1%, 3PT: 44.6%, FT: 63.2%, and 11.3ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 49.2%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 66.3%. He played 1 more NCAA season with Kent State University (NCAA) averaging 10.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 72.0%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball during his time in Germany with Kirchheim.

Thanks Miryne for talking to germanhoops.com. Your playing your second professional season and first in Germany for the Bozic Estriche Knights Kirchheim (Germany-ProA). What kind of an experience has it been playing for this organization? What have you appreciated most about the experience?

It has been a learning experience. I have appreciated the connection with all in the organization. I bumped heads with coach Igor in the first weeks, but now he is like top 5 funniest coaches that I have worked with. He pushes us to be great.

You came to a very ambitious team with a very talented head coach with Igor Perovic. What were the main reasons for coming?

I didn´t know what to expect. I came to a club that has allowed me to be me on the court. I have freedom and both ends and can be vocal. In my rookie season I wasn´t a driver. There was a muzzle on me. Here it is the exact opposite. Coach gives me freedom.

After coming from Leicester in England, now your playing in the competitive German Pro A? How would you compare the 2 leagues? Would you say from skill level about the same?

I would say that the BBL in the UK is 10-15% better skill wise than in the Pro A. There are 2 types of people. There is the competitor which I am and the showman. The showman is that guy that knows he can do something and does it just to look good. In Kirchheim we have a coach who is a competitor.

What has it been like playing for head coach Igor Perovic. He is always liked by his players. Even guys that played for him say 7-8 years ago still rave about him. Have you ever seen a more calm coach then him?

Igor is my guy. I thought at the start that he didn´t like me. I wasn´t getting any fouls called in practice and then coach said I wanted to see how tough you were. I like that he gives us freedom and trusts us in games. He holds everyone to a high standard. He will always hold you accountable. He prepares us very well for each game and let´s us be ourselves.

What is exactly your role on the team? Kirchheim already has a Swiss army knife with Cam Henry, but couldn´t one also describe you as that in a 203cm body?

Demetrius Ward calls me a Swiss army knife. My role is to switch and be effective each minute when I´m on the court. I communicate and I play hard and am naturally wired. I feel that if your not tired than your not playing your hardest.

Is there anything that Cam henry doesn´t do? Talk a little about how you guys play together? Are you like 2 defensive anchors on the court?

I think we are. I think that I´m a better defender and more athletic than him. We have both this special uniqueness to our games. He has it in for the guards and I for the bigs.

What has it been like playing with Braden Norris? He is a pass first point guard that shot 42% from outside in the NCAA. One doesn´t see that often as a pass first guard?

I played in college with Hagen´s Sincere Carry and he is about the closest comparison that I have to Braden. Carry gave me no look passes and so does Norris. Braden can really pass the ball. He is one of the most positive guys that I know. He never misses a screen.

How vital are bigs Antonio Dorn and Aitor Picket. What have you appreciated most about their games?

Dorn is our enforcer. He hasn´t played much because he was injured. In practice I have never seen a guy with his size that can finish like him with that kind of power. If you don´t double team him, he will make 7 lay ups in a row. Picket is also like a Swiss army knife. The only thing missing is athleticism. His biggest thing is his IQ. He is a 4 that can defend a 5. He is one of our top 5 best shooter son the team. He is always positive.

Let´s talk about your game. If you had to compare your game to a NBA player who would best fit the description?

The guys that come to mind are Andrew Wiggins, Bobby Portis, Naz Reid and Kawhi Leonard

You’re a guy that can do it all at the forward position. How big is versatility in your game?

The team allows me to play 3-5. When team´s switch it is a nightmare for them. I´m may not be as smart as I want to be, but I´m still smarter than 50% of all players.

How developed is your three pointer at the moment? You shot over 40% in the NCAA and in Canada. What is your goal as a shooter this season?

My goal every year is to be above 35%. I try not to look to much about my 3, but try to maintain my FT %. I feel like if I take good three´s, then I will be in high 30´s.

What kind of a defender are you right now and what kind of a defender do you still want to become?

I´m an intense, tenacious and focused defender right now. I would like to become more of a physical defender.

On what areas of your game are you working on most right now so you can continue to improve as a player?

I´m working on my leadership. I want to say the right words and not be aggressive doing it. I want to be the best version of me on and off the floor.

Last summer you played with the Ottawa Blackjacks (Canada-CEBL) averaging 6.7ppg, 2.3rpg, FGP: 76.9%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 69.2%. What kind of an experience was that? It is a league that has become better known in the last years. What positives could you take from that time?

When I got there, we were 2-8 and we finished at 500. I went from being a practice player to being thrown into the fire. It was like summer hoops. I brought energy and my love for the game.

You played your rookie season with the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders (United Kingdom-BBL) averaging 12.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 62.5%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 78.2%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being a rookie where you knew that you were far away from home?

The biggest adjustment was simply how business is handled at the pro level. I experienced how one day, I´m joking and having fun with a teammate and the next day he is on a plane home.

How tough was being swept in the Playoffs by Sheffield? You played them tough in the first 2 games but lost by 3 points in each game. What will you always remember from that series?

The first game we competed. I could of thrown the ball backwards and it would have gone in. The basketball God was on my side. We lost the last 2 games because we played with showmanship.

How beneficial was it for you to have played for 3 NCAA teams. What kind of a player were you in 2017 and what kind of a player in 2023?

I began to play the game at age 15 and went to college at age 18. I came to the NCAA with athleticism and I couldn´t shoot the ball. Basketball was my staple. I was hungry, but also had to prove myself. In my last year at Kent State, I was on a really good team. We had 2 really good guards and with me were the big 3. I was on a pedestal. It was my reward after many years of hard work.

You played your first NCAA season with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (NCAA). You had a very solid freshman season averaging 11.2ppg, 7.7rpg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 16.3%, FT: 64.2%. How do you feel did your game benefit as you averaged 26 minutes per game.

I was really blessed that they started 4 freshmen. That year we were 7-28 and my last year at Kent State we were 28-7. That was God´s plan. I had no plan what a basketball program was my freshman year. I was more a sponge that season.

You were challenged right in your first game losing by 26 points to Georgetown and head coach Patrick Ewing, but you scored 16 points. Did that game give you a sense that you belonged in the NCAA right away?

That performance gave me a sense that I belonged. I should of committed to a school later, but did to this school at the start of my senior year in high school. I had been the first from my family to go to college. I was just happy to have gotten in.

You then played 3 years at Ball State where you made strides each season in your scoring. How valuable were these 3 years in your basketball development under James Whitford?

Coach Whitford was the best off the court coach that I ever had. He coached so many diverse players and had to face with so much adversary, but he always stuck with his players. My 3 years there allowed me to become a shooter. I worked with a ball machine and took 10,000 shots. I went from 17% to high 30´s from downtown.

You had many great games at Ball State like scoring 26 points in a win at Miami, Ohio. What was your fondest moment on the court at Ball State?

My fondest game was a home game against Bowling Green. I had a terrible offensive game. My match up was Daequan Plowden. I took a 1 dribble pull up jumper at the end to win the game. Despite not having a good offensive game, I stuck with it and played hard. The whole team stormed on the court and dog piled me.

You then finished at Kent State University (NCAA) averaging 10.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 72.0%. How important was it adding a 5 year for your basketball development. You demonstrated consistency again there

I got better defensively and got pushed. Coach Rob pushed me to be my best. Before coming there, I was always a role player, but there I was part of a dynamic.

You had the luxury to have played for so many different coaches at a young age. How did head coach Rob Senderoff give you that added push there and help you be prepared for a pro career?

He held me accountable for my job. We were top 5 in defense in the nation. We would sit down, take notes, laugh and get better.

You reached the big dance losing to Indiana. You didn´t have a great shooting night. What memories will you always have from that game?

I learned that I wasn´t Michael Jordan. I had the flu. We couldn´t throw our best punch. You couldn´t tell I had the flu. I did what I could.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Chris Payton?

He could really jump. But my toughest match up was against Malik Jacobs.

Who was the greatest player that you ever faced on the court that was in the NBA?

Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Me, Sincere Carry, Markell John son, Deng Adel, Chris Payton

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore?

Lebron James, Steph Curry, Shaq, Allen Iverson

Who is your GOAT?

Lebron James

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?

I haven´t seen it.

Thanks Miryne for the chat.