NORFOLK, Va. – Former Norfolk State basketball player Malik Thomas will compete in the Gotham Hoops Invitational this Saturday in the second annual showcase to highlight players to fans, media and professional personnel from around the world. The event will take place at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y.

The invitational offers players a stage to compete in public and private settings throughout the day to showcase their talents in front of professional agents, coaches, executives and scouts. Alumni from the first showcase last year represented leagues in 14 counties during the 2014-15 season.

After competing for three years at Boston University, Thomas played in 32 games for the Spartans in 2014-15 as a graduate transfer. He averaged 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and better than 32 percent from 3-point range. He was named MEAC Player of the Week for Nov. 17-23 after averaging 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games.

The 2015 Gotham Hoops Invitational gets underway at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday with a combine, skill development events and team practices. The showcase games, the first events open to the public, begin at 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.gothamhoopsinvitational.com.

Former MEAC players Jordan Parks, Alfonzo Houston and Emanuel Chapman (North Carolina Central) and Jahvari Josiah and Arnold Fripp (Coppin State) will also compete in this year’s showcase.