The Valparaiso University men's basketball program has announced the addition of 6-foot guard Kyonte Thomas (Chicago, Ill. / Bolingbrook), who joins the team as a graduate transfer for the 2025-2026 season.
 
In his four-year collegiate career at the NAIA level, Thomas tallied 1,325 points and 513 assists and earned all-conference honors on multiple occasions.
 
"Kyonte is a great kid," Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. said. "He's experienced and he's coming in to give us extra depth at the point guard position. He is a tough kid who knows how to play. He will give us added depth and energy."
 
Thomas spent the 2024-2025 season at Southeastern University, where he started 18 of the team's 31 games and averaged 8.6 points per contest, dishing out 50 assists and shooting 39.9 percent from the field.
 
Thomas scored a season-high 19 points in a win over top-seeded Keiser University in the Sun Conference Tournament semifinals this past season, his 14^th double-figure scoring output of the year. He secured a points-assists double-double in the 2024-2025 season opener against Bryan (Tenn.).
 
"Relationships with the coaches played a big role in my decision to come to Valpo," Thomas said. "I grew up with Coach Pat Baldwin coaching me, and Coach Q (Quintin Garrison) also coached me growing up. Coach Powell told me that it's about culture here, and anyone who wants to be on the team must be a team-first, program-first guy. Coach Powell is an authentic and energetic coach. Being around him makes it a really fun environment."
 
Prior to spending this past season at Southeastern, Thomas' collegiate journey started with two years at Trinity International followed by one year at the University of Pikeville. He was named first-team all-conference for Pikeville in 2023-24 after averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game (109 total assists) including a season high of 33 points. He started all 31 games and led the team in minutes played while firing at a 37.5 percent clip from 3 and 73.8 from the free-throw stripe. He was also an all-defensive team member thanks in part to 39 steals.
 
At Trinity International, Thomas scored 608 points over two seasons, averaging 8.0 points per game in 2021-22 en route to an all-freshman team nod before turning in 11.5 ppg as a sophomore, when he achieved all-conference honorable mention. He handed out 303 assists over the two seasons including 181 as a sophomore.
 
"It's been a long journey transitioning around to different cities and states, and I felt like Valpo was a nice spot for my grad season," Thomas said. "As an experienced player, I will tell the younger guys to cherish every moment because you never know what's going to happen. I will tell them to make sure they are working on their bodies and giving it their all. I'm a team-first point guard and I like to see my teammates succeed. I like to play fast, play in transition and have fun."
 
Away from the court, Thomas enjoys spending time with his family and his favorite hobby is bowling. On the lanes, his top score is 278. In the classroom, he graduated from Southeastern University with a degree in business management and plans to pursue a master's in sports administration at Valpo.