Basketball
Women’s basketball: Assistant coach Alex (Earl) Thomas leaving CU Buffs
BOULDER,CO: March 14:Alex Earl during the University of Colorado practice for the NCAA tournament on March 14, 2023.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
The Colorado women’s basketball team is losing one of its long-time assistants.
On Thursday night, assistant coach Alex (Earl) Thomas announced that she is leaving the program after eight seasons. Thomas, who recently had her second child, is stepping away from CU for an opportunity at Forge Christian High School in Arvada, where she’ll work as the athletic director and girls basketball coach.
Thomas has been with the Buffs since head coach JR Payne came to Boulder in the spring of 2016. She was the Buffs’ director of player development during the 2016-17 season and moved into an assistant coaching role in 2017.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life; saying goodbye to college basketball but most importantly, saying goodbye to The University of Colorado,” she wrote on social media. “I’ve grown into a woman, gotten married, had babies, all the while being a Buff. I will forever be grateful for all the incredible memories and people I’ve met over the last 8 years. This place is truly special.”
With Thomas leaving, associate head coach Toriano Towns – Payne’s husband – is the only remaining member of Payne’s original staff at CU in 2016-17.
Thomas played an integral role in helping CU end a nine-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2022, as well as reaching the Sweet 16 in 2023 and 2024.
A 2012 graduate of Arizona State, Thomas also worked under Payne at Santa Clara during the 2015-16 season before coming to Boulder. She began her coaching career at Lamar Community College in 2013 and worked there for one season before coaching at Eastern Washington in 2014-15 and then moving on to Santa Clara.
As a player at ASU, Thomas started 36 games and ranked 10th on the school’s career list for 3-pointers, with 92.
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