Center 1974 Graduate Honored Guest at Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

May 23, 2018 - The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame will be honoring Debra K. Thomas of Longview, Texas as well as other women as the, 'Trailblazers of the Game" at their 2018 Induction ceremony on Friday, June 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Before the WNBA there was the WBL in which Thomas played for until it folded. Debra Kay Thomas is a 1974 graduate of Center High School in Center, Texas and has lived in Longview for 30 years. She is also retired from Eastman Chemical Company where she worked 21 years as a chemical operator. She has one daughter, Angela Thomas and two granddaughters Ja'Khia Thomas and Rhianna Harris.

At Center High School, as a senior, she earned all-state honors. Three years she was all-district in basketball and earned all-regional honors one year. Thomas also competed in track and was a four-time all-district performer.

Thomas attended Panola Junior College for two years, 1975-1976, where she earned all-American honors, all-regional player, and most valuable player. At S.F.A. Thomas majored in Physical Education and Health and in 1978 she was an honorable mention all-American. She was also named to the all-regional squad and averaged 18.6 points per game as a senior with a single game high of 34. 

She had a field goal percentage of 45.2 while in college and played on the U.S.A. A.B.A. basketball team in the summer of 1978 which toured Seoul, Korea, Hong Kong, Peking, China and Tokyo, Japan.

1975 - All Conference Team at Panola Junior College
1975 - Regional All Tournament Team at Panola Junior College
1975 - Led Fillies to the AIAW National Tournament
1976 - Led Fillies to the first TEC Championship
1976 - TEC All Conference Team
1976 - NJCAA Region XIV All Region Team
1976 - Region XIV All Tournament Team
1976 - Region XIV Tournament Most Valuable Player
1976 - Panola's first women's basketball NJCAA All American
1976 - Led Fillies to the NJCAA Women's Basketball National Tournament
1976-1978 - Played basketball at Stephen F. Austin State University
1978 - Played on the U.S.A. A.B.A. basketball team in the summer of 1978
1976-1980 - Played in the women's first professional league for the Iowa Cornets