Isiah Thomas named Fla. Int'l Univ. coach

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MIAMI, April 14 (UPI) -- Florida International University Tuesday has selected former NBA star Isiah Thomas to be its men's basketball coach.

It will the first collegiate coaching job for Thomas, who led the Detroit Pistons to a pair of NBA titles during his 13-year Hall of Fame playing career and also has five seasons of pro coaching experience with Indiana and New York on his resume.

"Coming back to the college game has always been a dream of mine and I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to go somewhere where we can build a basketball legacy together," Thomas in a statement released by the school. "A lot of people don't know that FIU is one of the 25 largest universities in the country with a tremendously strong alumni community standing behind us.

"Most important, I think we can get good players from across Florida and around the country to buy into our plan to make this a top-tier basketball program."

Thomas, 47, has a career NBA coaching record of 187-223.