Chicago native Barron Thelmon enters his first season as an Assistant Coach at UIW in 2024-25.
Prior to arriving in San Antonio, Thelmon launched Supreme Sportz and Entertainment, a sports agency based out of Wilmington, North Carolina that was created to help aspiring professional athletes navigate their career paths. Thelmon was involved in contract negotiations, marketing agreements, and professional development for his clients. In addition, Thelmon implemented a holistic development plan for his clients, which included financial literacy and nutrition programs.
Previously, Thelmon ran a player development company called Game Speed. With Game Speed, Thelmon was responsible for managing the pre-draft process for pro prospects, as well as training elite high school basketball players and assisting Chicagoland area AAU programs with their player development departments.
In 2016, Thelmon was named International Program Director for Global Sports Organization, an academy located in Dubai, U.A.E that focused on globalizing the sport of basketball internationally. Thelmon was responsible for creating and implementing competition platforms, and worked directly with the Head of Sports Federation in the U.A.E. to coordinate international basketball tournaments. Thelmon was also responsible for enhancing basketball programs in other countries, specifically throughout Africa and Asia. Thelmon’s efforts helped kickstart the international awareness of elite basketball talent in Africa and Asia.
Thelmon previously worked as the head basketball coach of the national postgrad high school program at West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Florida. He led the team to a 25-10 record, while sending six players to the Division One level, including top-100 Egyptian standout Anas Mahmoud, who went on to have a successful career at Louisville and overseas in the Bal League, Africa’s top basketball league.
Prior to leading the West Oaks program, Thelmon was Director of Athletics and an Assistant Varsity Basketball coach at prep powerhouse La Lumiere in LaPorte, Indiana, where he initially worked with Coach Heirman. Thelmon helped guide the team to a 22-6 record, while also coaching and developing eight future Division One players, including two top-100 talents in Torren Jones and Sam Logwood.
Thelmon also has experience working in college basketball, having served two seasons as an Assistant Coach at Eastern Illinois following two seasons as the assistant director of basketball operations at DePaul.
At Eastern Illinois, Thelmon served under former New York Knicks head coach Mike Miller, working primarily with the guards and playing an instrumental role in developing point guard Jeremy Granger into a First Team All-OVC player.
Thelmon was known as an excellent recruiter, helping to secure the commitment of Chicago native Alfonso McKinnie, who went on to play five seasons in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. Thelmon was also responsible for signing UCONN transfer, Darius Smith, one of the most decorated recruits in EIU history.
Thelmon was a standout guard for coach Mike Oliver at Curie High School in Chicago, Illinois, earning All-City honors in three times during his sophomore, junior and senior years.
Thelmon went on to start his collegiate playing career at national junior college powerhouse Indian Hills Community College where he helped lead the program to a 76-1 record with a pair of national titles in 1998 and 1999. He was inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame in 2021.
He then moved on to play at UNC Wilmington for head coach Jerry Wainwright. While at UNCW, the Seahawks won 37 games in two years making an NCAA Tournament and post-season NIT Tournament appearance.
He started his coaching career in 2002 as an assistant coach at Cape Fear Community College in North Carolina serving for one year. He would later return as a volunteer assistant coach helping with coaching, scouting and developing offensive and defensive schemes.
A 2001 graduate of UNC Wilmington, Thelmon served two years as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater from 2006-08 earning his master's degree from UNCW. He would join the DePaul staff in 2008.
In addition to his coaching experience Thelmon spent three years playing professionally in the Xtreme Basketball Association (2002), the National Basketball Developmental League (2003) and Ontario Basketball Association (2004).
