CHICAGO – Roosevelt women's basketball head coach Deon Thomas was named a Host Committee Ambassador for the AT&T WNBA All-Star weekend in Chicago on July 24 and 25.
Thomas is one of 14 distinguished coaches and basketball leaders in the Chicago area that were named ambassadors alongside staff members from Division I DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern and UIC as well as coaches from Lewis and the University of Chicago. These ambassadors will work in tandem with the host committee to engage the Chicagoland community and create opportunities for girls and women through the game of basketball.
"It's an incredible honor to serve as a host committee ambassador for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend. This is more than just a basketball event -- it's an opportunity to celebrate how far the women's game has come and the bright future that lies ahead," Thomas said. "As the head women's basketball coach at Roosevelt University, I'm proud to represent a program located in the heart of downtown Chicago during such a special moment for our city.
"I hope this weekend inspires young girls to chase their dreams, reminds our student-athletes what's possible through hard work and perseverance, and continues to elevate the visibility of women's sports. I'm grateful to be part of an event that will leave a lasting impact on our community and on the next generation of women in basketball."
Among his responsibilities, Thomas is scheduled to participate in the WNBA's youth basketball clinics on July 21 and July 24 on the South Side. The July 21 clinic is scheduled from 10 a.m. until noon at the Foster (J. Frank) Park in the Auburn-Gresham community. The July 24 event is being held from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Robichaux (Joseph) Park in Washington Heights.
This year is the second time in league history that Chicago will play host to the best of the best in women's basketball in the annual All-Star Game. In 2022, Wintrust Arena was the host site as Team Wilson defeated Team Stewart 134-112 behind a record-tying 30 points from Kelsey Plum. This year's contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on July 25 at the United Center and the 10 starters were announced last week.
Thomas is entering his fifth season with the Lakers and has guided Roosevelt to back-to-back trips to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. In his first four years at the helm, Roosevelt has had seven all-conference performers, including Marie Outlay, rewrote the Lakers record book on defense during her career. Thomas coached Outlay to being named the 2023-24 CCAC Rookie of the Year, 2023-24 CCAC Defensive Player of the Year and 2025-26 GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year while also seeing her offensive statistics rise in each season, culminating this past year in a career-best 12.1 points per game.
