Assistant coach leaves

IU men's basketball assistant coach Jim Thomas will not be returning to the IU staff for the 2003-2004 season, head coach Mike Davis announced Thursday.\nThomas, who played his collegiate basketball career at IU, was instrumental in the championship run as the sixth man of the 1981 NCAA Championship team, and captured NCAA All-Tournament honors in 1981. During both of his junior and senior seasons in a Hoosier uniform, Thomas led in both steals and rebounds per game. Due to his impressive play at IU, Thomas was drafted in the second round by the Indiana Pacers and played for three seasons in the NBA. \nAfter spending seven years in the Toronto Raptors organization as an assistant coach and scout, Thomas returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in August 2001. \n"Jim has made key contributions to the Indiana program both as a player and as an assistant coach," Davis said in a press release. "We appreciate his efforts over the last two years and wish him the best in the future."\nThomas could not be reached for comment.