Faith, family and excellence are the core values present in the recipients of the Ed Thomas Award. The Ed Thomas Award is presented in memory of Coach Ed Thomas ’72, who inspired and motivated athletes based on these principles.
A long-time NCAA Division I assistant with a track record of success around the country, this year’s recipient of the Ed Thomas Award is Julian Assibey. A 2005 graduate of William Penn University, Assibey has coached in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana and Nebraska.
Assibey is now in his second season as Assistant Coach for Nebraska Women’s Basketball, in his first season there, the Huskers had their most successful campaign in a decade. He came to Lincoln after spending three years as an assistant coach at Florida, where he helped the Gators to three consecutive postseason berths. In his first season in Gainesville, Assibey helped the Gators to their first postseason berth since a 2016 NCAA Tournament bid, and their first postseason victory since 2014.
He went to Florida after spending four successful seasons at Montana State, where he helped the Bobcats to a pair of Big Sky regular-season titles and one conference crown. In addition to his coaching duties, Assibey served as the recruiting coordinator for the Bobcats, who produced nine all-conference honorees including a pair of Big Sky players of the year in his four seasons. In his first season at Montana State, led by league player of the year, Peyton Ferris, the Bobcats earned an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and finished the season with a 25-7 record.
With a couple of different coaching stops at Western Colorado and Metro State Denver, Assibey became the full-time assistant at Colorado State. Throughout his coaching career, Assibey has demonstrated the values of Coach Thomas. Having a strong faith and love of family, his caring attitude and strength of character are captured by teams coached.
Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, Assibey grew up in Downey, CA. Earning four letters in men’s basketball while also competing in track and field, Assibey earned his bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration and Strength & Conditioning at William Penn. Following his two seasons as an assistant coach at Metro State Denver, he spent one season on staff as an assistant coach at William Penn. While coaching at Merrimack College, Assibey completed his master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University in 2013.
Julian and his wife, Kaylee, a 2006 graduate, have two sons, Malachi and Elijah.