The NBA Finals returned to New York on Monday night when the Knicks hosted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Marcus Thomas was going to keep close eye on that game.
But whereas the professional game piqued his interest, his attention also was focused on the genesis of a new opportunity at Riverview.
The school board Monday evening hired Thomas to lead the Raiders boys basketball program and complete a transition from a life of playing and coaching the game at the collegiate level since his graduation from Uniontown in 2012.
Thomas said he hoped to connect with board members before the meeting. He comes to Oakmont after a finishing a five-year tenure as men’s basketball coach at Mt. Aloysius.
“I am extremely excited,” said Thomas, who started his collegiate playing career at Clarion before becoming a three-year starter and all-star at Pitt-Greensburg.
Before Mt. Aloysius, Thomas enjoyed successful coaching stops at Chatham and Penn State Fayette.
“It’s going to be a new challenge for me shifting into the high school world,” he said. “Oakmont and Riverview have been a big place in my heart for a long time. My wife, Katrina, and I quarantined in Oakmont during covid. My wife lived there for seven or eight years. Several of our close friends live in the Oakmont area. It’s a special community to us.
“As we were going through this transition, we talked about where we wanted to plant our roots, and Oakmont stood out as an obvious place. The opportunity to come to Riverview is special. The community is fantastic. Those who I have touched base with so far have been great. Everyone is excited for the future of the program. I am ready to get into it and see how everyone is involved. It is going to be a lot of fun.”
Thomas takes over for Dru Corbin, who parted ways with Riverview after two seasons.
Riverview came within a game of making the WPIAL playoffs in 2025 but was not able to get over the hump this past winter. The Raiders slipped to 6-15 overall and 4-10 in section play.
Riverview hasn’t qualified for the WPIAL playoffs since 2014-15.
Thomas said getting back into coaching in the area was an important step in his life and career.
“There were a lot of conversations between coaching and just life in general, and being back in the area was a big thing for us,” he said.
Thomas said he has been immersed in WPIAL basketball no matter where the journey has taken him, from his days in Uniontown to his coaching stops. This past year, players from Franklin Regional, Norwin and Imani Christian were on the Mt. Aloysius roster.
“I always helped develop a WPIAL footprint in recruiting,” he said. “There’s always been a strong connection there. I always stayed familiar with what’s been going on and some of the transitions the WPIAL has gone through, especially recently.”
Thomas’ first season with the Raiders will see his team battle Eden Christian, Jeannette, Springdale, Neighborhood Academy and Winchester Thurston in Section 3-2A. Under the new alignment cycle, Riverview goes from a section with eight teams to six. Jeannette, the WPIAL Class 2A runner-up and a PIAA quarterfinalist last year, and playoff qualifier Springdale are the two holdovers from the section.
Eden Christian and Winchester Thurston earned berths to the Class 2A state playoffs. Neighborhood Academy moves up after capturing the 2026 WPIAL Class A title and finishing as the state runner-up.
“We have a very challenging section, and I know we will be looking forward to the challenge,” Thomas said. “With our local connections, we had been to a few games and few events, so I’ve had the team on my radar. There’s been talent on these teams. I know how active the youth programs have been. Once the opportunity to come here became more of a reality, I started to watch a little more film and saw the players’ styles and what we can do to continue to develop them.”
Thomas said he will be at Tuesday’s summer league game at St. Joseph and is looking forward to meeting the team and carving out a summer workout plan. He gave credit to athletic director Andre Carter, also the Riverview girls basketball coach, and the junior high staff for keeping the players engaged and working with early summer league games.
“We’re looking to get to work as soon as possible and get things off the ground,” Thomas said.
Players such as returning starters Rex Roberts and Owen Metz, both rising seniors, found success this spring on the Riverview baseball team, which finished third in WPIAL Class 2A and again qualified for the PIAA playoffs. Thomas hopes to keep the good vibes going from baseball and also the track and field season.
“There’s been a lot going on, but whenever possible, guys have been in the gym,” Thomas said. “I can’t wait to see more of what we have and what we can develop before the school year begins.”
Carter said he’s excited to see Thomas’ big-picture outlook for the boys’ program.
“It wasn’t just short-term success without goals for the extended future,” Carter said. “He should be able to develop a strong connection with the kids. Also, his desire to work with those in the youth program just added to what we feel is a perfect fit.”