Bio

Sheray Thomas enters his 11th season as Head Coach of the Lakeland Rustlers Men’s Basketball program after serving two seasons as an assistant coach. Since taking over the program, Thomas has led the Rustlers to the postseason in 9 of his first 10 seasons, compiling an overall record of 147–99, including 130–86 in regular season play and 17–12 in the playoffs.

Under Thomas’ leadership, the Rustlers have established themselves as one of the ACAC’s premier programs. In 2018, Lakeland captured the ACAC Silver Medal and earned just the second CCAA National Championship berth in Men’s Basketball program history. The Rustlers added ACAC Bronze Medals in 2022 and 2024, while numerous student-athletes have earned ACAC All-Conference honours and advanced to the U SPORT level. Off the court, the program has also achieved its highest cumulative team GPA during his tenure.

Thomas was named ACAC North Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in 2025 and 2026. He also served as an assistant coach with the Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), where he specialized in player development.

Before entering coaching, Thomas enjoyed a distinguished playing career. He competed professionally for six seasons in Canada and Europe and proudly represented Canada’s National Team. Collegiately, he played four seasons at the University of Kentucky, earning a bachelor’s degree in Social Work while helping one of NCAA Division I basketball’s most storied programs.

Sheray and his wife, Jennifer, are proud parents to their son, Sheray Jr. (SJ), and daughter, Skylin.

Career Record