HICKORY, N.C. — Catawba Valley Community College forward Shad Thomas has been named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II men's basketball Player of the Week.

The NJCAA officially announced Thomas' honor on Wednesday.

"I'm very grateful to be NJCAA Player of the Week, but I could not do this without my coaches and my teammates," Thomas said. "Coach always tells us a quote — 'If you think the cost of winning is high, just wait until you get the bill for regret.' It makes me just want to work even harder in every game and practice."

In two victories last week against Louisburg and Pitt, Thomas scored a total of 54 points and grabbed 32 rebounds, averaging 27 points per contest and 16 rebounds per contest. 

Thomas currently ranks fourth nationally in rebounds per game at 12.7 — one year after leading the nation in rebounding. He currently ranks second for the Red Hawks with 15.2 points per game and first for CVCC in field goal percentage (53.1).

Thomas becomes the first Red Hawk men's basketball player to win national weekly awards from the NJCAA multiple times. 

This is only the third time that a Red Hawk men's basketball player has received NJCAA Player of the Week. Jordan Powell was the first recipient for the Red Hawks, winning the award for the week of Dec. 10-16, 2018, and Thomas won the honor last season for his performance during the week of Nov. 22-28, 2021.