Former Mason Patriot and a member of the 2006 Final Four team, Will Thomas (2004-08) caught up with GoMason.com recently to discuss his professional playing career overseas and playing with the Denver Nuggets summer league.

Talk about your professional path since you graduated from George Mason?
I just finished my sixth season playing professional basketball. In 2008 I signed with my first professional team in Belgium, Belagcom Liege Basket. As rookie I played well considering all the adjustments I had to make on and off the court. I had a choice in the summer of 2009 to play for the same team or take an offer from a team in the Netherlands. I decided to go back to Liege Basket and I had a great season, one of the best seasons of my professional career. I was named MVP of the Belgian League and led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals. The team finished in first place in the regular season and we were able to reach the finals of the playoffs but fell short of winning it all. 

After that season I had many offers from different teams. I decided to stay in Belgium but with another team, Telenet Oostende. I had a good season and the team also did well making it to the Belgium Cup Final and the Euro Challenge Final Four. After another successful season in Belgium I was looking to move to another country, so I decided to play in the Republic of Georgia for Armia. The main reason I decided to play there was the team was going to give me Georgian citizenship. After my season in Georgia I decided to accept a contract in Turkey playing for Pinar Karsiyaka. We had a very successful season – reaching the semifinals of the playoffs for the first time in eight years. We also made it to the finals of the Euro Challenge, but lost by one. This past season I played for Sidigas Avellino in Italy. Next season, I have just signed a contract to play for Unicaja Malaga in Spain.

You played with the Denver Nuggets summer league. Now that the summer league is over, how did that go?
It was my first time playing in the summer league and I didn't really know what to expect because I knew the NBA game was different from playing overseas. I didn't know what they were going to expect from me, but they told me I would play a decent amount of minutes. The speed of the game, the spacing on the floor, the plays, the different terminology from college and overseas, where they want you on the floor and the different moves…it was all different. I also had to adjust to playing with a different group of guys in a short period of time. I just didn't know what to expect going into it, but it was a good experience.

How long were you in Las Vegas for the summer league?
I went to Denver on July 7 and was there for three days before I went to Vegas on July 10. I just returned from Vegas on July 19.

Did you know any of your teammates during the summer league?
Yes, I knew some from playing against them overseas and some are from the DMV area. I knew Chris Wright because he went to Georgetown, so I knew him from the DMV area. I was familiar with Erick Green because he played in Italy this past season, so I played against him. And I knew Denzel Bowles because he went to James Madison and I worked out with him a few times a few summers ago.

What has your experience been like playing overseas?
My experience playing overseas has been good so far. There were a lot adjusts I had to make when I first started playing in Europe…like the speed of the game, moves that are legal, and the European style of play.

You were part of Mason's historical Final Four run in 2006. Describe that experience from a player's perspective.
The Final Four was a great experience. We worked so hard during the summer, preseason and during the season in hopes of making it to the Final Four. The entire experience was just fun. Everyone around campus and the surrounding area showed us so much support during that time. It only lasted about three weeks, but it seemed to be longer than that. The Final Four is a one of a kind experience.

Do you still stay in touch with any of your Mason teammates?
I do stay in touch with a lot my teammates from Mason. John Vaughn, Darryl Monroe, Folarin Campbell, Dre Smith and I have a group chat that we talk on every day. I talk on Facebook and see during the summer Tony Skinn, Jai Lews, Gabe Norwood, Tim Burns and Jesus Urbina.

How often do you come back to Mason?
I don't get to come back as often as I would like. I came down last summer, but haven't been able to make it back since.