Joe Thomasson inks with Zenit

Blue-white-blue bought the rights to the American defender from the Spanish club Manresa. The contract with the player is for 2 years.

Javier Pascual, head coach of BC Zenit:

We are delighted to welcome Joe to our team. We believe that this player has the ability to play on both sides of the court, and he will help us achieve our goals.

Joe Thomasson, defender of BC Zenit:

I am happy to join the club, this is a great opportunity to play in the VTB United League once again, but with a larger organization. Playing under a coach as high as Javi Pascual will bring out the best in me. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates, the coaching staff and of course the amazing fans.

Joe was born in Dayton, Ohio. From 2013 to 2015, he played in the NCAA Collegiate League for Wright State College, after which in 2016 he was selected in the second round under the 42nd number of the G-League Draft by the farm club Boston Celtics – Maine Red Cloves.

Tomasson is already familiar with Russia. In the summer of 2018, the defender signed an agreement with Burevestnik Yaroslavl, where he played only 6 games in the first division of the Super League. Interestingly, it was in the composition of the Yaroslavl that Joe first played against Zenit. True, it was a friendly match. Nevertheless, back then at the SIBUR Arena, the defender scored 20 points for the blue-white-blue. At the end of November, the basketball player left Burya and signed with the Polish Start Lublin until the end of the season. As a result, he became one of the best scorers in the Polish Championship: 19.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 21 matches.

The next stop is Zielona Gora. Impressive debut in the VTB United League and gold in the Polish championship. The season was then interrupted, but Gura was in the playoff zone of the United League. In the match against Zenit, Thomasson scored 16 points, and the season averages were 12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists.

After Poland, Joe went to finish the season in Israel, where he spent the next year and a half with Galil Gilboa.

In the summer of 2021, Tomasson signed a two-year contract with Manresa. At 28, the defender will make his debut in two strong European tournaments – the Spanish DIA League and the FIBA ​​Champions League – and again very confidently. Manresa improve on their last year’s record and make it to the playoffs of the DIA, where they face future champions Real Madrid. There was no sensation, the “red-blacks” lost to the “creamy” 0-2 in the series. In both matches, Tomasson spent more than 30 minutes on the floor, scoring 12 and 16 points respectively.

In May 2022, Joe added Champions League silver medals to his collection. Manresa was close to the championship, but still lost in the Spanish final against Tenerife. Joe Thomasson had a brilliant season averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

At Zenit, the defender will wear number 32.