A former Clemson men’s basketball player is headed back home to continue his college career.

Redshirt junior guard Asa Thomas has signed with UIC (University of Illinois Chicago), the program announced Monday.

A native of Lake Forest, Ill., Thomas began his college career at Clemson, spending two years with the Tigers in 2023-24 and 2024-25, before transferring to Furman for the 2025-26 campaign and then entering the transfer portal last month.

“Asa is a tremendous addition for us,” UIC men’s basketball head coach Rob Ehsan said in a news release from the school. “He’s an elite three-point shooter with great size on the perimeter and that combination is something we really value in our system. On top of that, he’s been part of NCAA Tournament teams the past two years at Clemson and Furman, so he understands what winning basketball looks like at a high level. Bringing a player like Asa back home to Chicago to represent UIC is also very special, and we’re excited about the experience, shooting, and leadership he brings to our program.”

The 6-foot-7, 200-pound wing appeared in 28 games for the Paladins this past season (21 starts), averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. He shot 40.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from 3-point range.

Thomas was the first Clemson player to enter his name into the transfer portal after the Tigers’ 2024-25 season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to McNeese.  

In 2023-24, Thomas underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and redshirted the season, then missed most of the 2024-25 season due to injury. He played in 12 games overall in 2024-25 (27 total minutes) and averaged 1.2 points per game. He was 4-for-10 from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and posted two total rebounds with a couple of assists and one steal.

Thomas was rated a three-star prospect coming out of high school, according to 247Sports and Rivals. He led the Illinois Wolves in scoring in his final season on the AAU circuit, averaging 15.1 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3. He was recognized by Synergy Sports as being the most offensively efficient player on the AAU 17U circuit at the time. Thomas averaged a circuit-best 1.07 points per possession.

Coming out of high school, Thomas chose Clemson over Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Marquette and DePaul.