April 8, 2004

WACO, Texas - Baylor men's basketball player Harvey Thomas has decided to forego his senior season and prepare for a professional career, the 6-8 forward announced Thursday.

Thomas, a junior from Fredericksburg, Va., averaged 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 21 games at Baylor in 2003-2004, his first season after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Thomas was named to the All-Big 12 third team and the Big 12's All-Newcomer squad by the Associated Press.

"I sat down with my family and discussed a lot of things about the future and came to the conclusion that going pro this year was the best option for me and my family," Thomas said. "I want to thank Baylor University and the fans for their support this year. I enjoyed the opportunity to play at Baylor University and I want to thank everyone involved in my growth as a player and as a person."

"The coaching staff really enjoyed working with Harvey Thomas this past season," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. "I know our team will miss him, but at the same time we know his goals and dreams have always been to play professional basketball and we will help him in any way possible to achieve that. We want to thank Harvey for helping make our team competitive this past season and helping us surpass expectations."