PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland State head women's basketball coach Karlie Burris completed her coaching staff for the upcoming 2025-26 season with a familiar face as Reiko Thomas, former player at Arizona and an assistant coach within the Big Sky Conference, joined the Vikings Thursday as Director of Player Development.
 
Thomas played all four years at Arizona, making the WNIT with the Wildcats as a junior during the 2010-11 season. Thomas then overlapped with Burris at Northern Arizona, serving as a graduate assistant during Burris' first two years as an assistant coach. After her time at NAU, Thomas served as a full-time assistant at Weber State from 2014-16, helping lead the Wildcats to the championship game of the Women's Basketball Invitational after a 23-win season in 2015-16.
 
Thomas left Weber State to teach in an English Language Immersion Program from 2016-18, before getting back into coaching as an assistant at NCAA Division II Maryville University from 2018-20. She went into mentorship again after her stop at Maryville, working with Pathways Travels from 2021 until joining the Vikings.
 
"I am thrilled to round out our staff with the addition of Reiko Thomas. Having shared time together at Northern Arizona, I've seen firsthand her commitment to people, her competitive spirit, and her ability to connect with student-athletes on a deeper level," Burris said of Thomas.
 
"As a former standout player at the University of Arizona and with coaching stops at Weber State and Maryville, Reiko brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience. What excites me most is the perspective she has gained from her time abroad and her work mentoring young people. Her passion for empowering others aligns perfectly with the values of our program. Reiko is going to make an immediate impact on our team, and I couldn't be more excited to welcome her to the Viking family."
 
As a player at Arizona, Thomas averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while starting 58 games for the Wildcats over her four years. She scored a career-high 23 points as a freshman against Long Beach State on Dec. 14, 2008. She led the Wildcats with 20 points in a narrow loss to a nationally ranked UCLA team to close out the 2009-10 regular season.
 
Thomas joins associate head coach Kerri Nakamoto and assistants Hailey King and Raina Perez on Burris' first coaching staff at Portland State.