Chuck Thomas, who has served as athletic director and varsity boys basketball coach at Fuqua School since July 2015, has departed those roles to become a full-time assistant coach in the Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) basketball program.

His hiring was highlighted in a college press release Tuesday that also noted the hiring of T.J. Grimes as an assistant coach.

Officials in the release noted that Thomas is rejoining the program after a brief stint as an assistant with the Tigers in 2007, during which he helped H-SC to its 10th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I am really excited about the opportunity to come back and coach at Hampden-Sydney,” Thomas stated in the release. “It is truly an honor to be a part of the H-SC basketball family of great coaches and players. I am eager to start working with the development of returning players and new players coming in.”

Thomas has more than 20 years of head coaching experience at the high school level, including successful tenures at large public schools, the release cited. It added that his experience at the collegiate level includes serving as the Director of Basketball Operations at the College of William & Mary during the 2005-06 season.

Fuqua’s varsity boys basketball program thrived under his leadership. After going 5-18 in a rebuilding 2015-16 season, the Falcons went 15-4 in 2016-17 and 15-3 in 2017-18.

Speaking during his last week at Fuqua, Thomas reflected on his time with the school.

“I’ve enjoyed the families here,” he said. “… The students have been a pleasure to work with. … It’s been a great home for both of my kids. My youngest son is going to continue to go here.”