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Sonny Thoss

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Sonny Thoss
Thoss in 2015
Personal information
Born (1981-12-07) December 7, 1981 (age 42)
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
NationalityFilipino
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
CollegeJames Cook University
PBA draft2004: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Alaska Aces
Playing career2004–2019
PositionCenter
Number7
Career history
2004–2019Alaska Aces
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Philippines
FIBA Asia Championship
Silver medal – second place 2015 Changsha Team
William Jones Cup
Gold medal – first place 2012 Taipei Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Taipei Team

Joachim Gunther "Sonny" Thoss (born December 7, 1981) is a German-Filipino former professional basketball player. He played his entire career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with the Alaska Aces, where his jersey number is retired.

Early life and education

[edit]

Joachim Thoss was born on December 7, 1981, in Papua New Guinea[1] to a German father and to a Filipina mother. His father, Joachim Thoss Sr. was an East German patrol guard who patrolled the Berlin Wall before it fell and is a carpenter who is involved in construction projects in Papua New Guinea. The younger Thoss' mother, Jesusa Marticio, is from Cebu.[2]

He attended Port Moresby High School. Basketball competitions in Papua New Guinea are rare; Thoss only represented his high school in one-day tournaments. He moved to Australia in 1999 to attend James Cook University.[2]

Semi-professional career

[edit]

After Thoss moved to Australia played for the Cairns Marlins of the Australian Basketball Association. He trained under Cairns Taipans assistant coach, Aaron Fearne. During his Marlins stint he was named as Most Improved Player in 2001 and was named as part of the league's under-23 squad.[2]

Professional career

[edit]

He was the 5th overall pick in the 2004 PBA draft selected by the Alaska Aces and he was also the tallest rookie picked in that class.[2] In his early years, Sonny was the backup center for the Aces behind the dominant big men Ali Peek and E.J. Feihl in Alaska's rotation. But in his later years, Thoss eventually became Alaska's starting big man and become one of the team's top players.

In the 2007 Fiesta Conference, he won his first championship.[3]

In the 2009–10 Philippine Cup finals, Thoss and the Aces were swept by the Purefoods TJ Giants.[4] The Aces were able to bounce back in that year's Fiesta Conference finals, by defeating the San Miguel Beermen in five games.[5]

In 2011, he was awarded the PBA Sportsmanship Award.[6]

In 2012, he and Alaska finished with a 10-22 record.[7]

In the 2012–13 Philippine Cup, the Aces started the season with two straight losses.[8] But the Aces were able to get their first win of the season despite Thoss suffering from a bum stomach against the Barako Bull Energy Cola.[9] Despite having zero points, he had six rebounds and four blocks.[9] From there, the Aces went on a four-game winning streak.[10] In the 2013 Commissioner's Cup, he earned Player of the Week honors for the week of March 4–10.[11] He then missed several games during the Commissioner’s Cup due to a bad back.[12] But once the playoffs began, the 31-year-old veteran center helped the top-seeded Aces to victories over the Air21 Express in the quarterfinals, before dethroning the San Mig Coffee Mixers following a 3–1 series win in the semifinals.[12] He raised his game further in the finals, averaging 14 points and close to 10 rebounds, while playing a huge defensive role in neutralizing Barangay Ginebra import Vernon Macklin.[12]The Aces won the title that conference, as he claimed Finals MVP.[13] He was also on the Mythical Second Team and All-Defensive Team that season.[14]

In the 2013–14 Philippine Cup, Thoss grabbed 11 rebounds in a win over San Mig Coffee.[15] Some games later, he had a career-high 30 points in an overtime loss to the Talk N' Text Tropang Texters.[16] The Aces failed to defend their Commissioner's Cup title that year.[17] He was named to the Mythical Second Team and the All-Star team for that season.[18][19] After the season, he, together with JVee Casio and Cyrus Baguio, re-signed with the Aces.[20]

In the 2014–15 Philippine Cup finals, Thoss matched up with June Mar Fajardo, where the Beermen beat the Aces in seven games.[21] They matched up again in the 2015–16 Philippine Cup finals, from Game 5 up to the end of the series. San Miguel won that series despite Alaska holding a 3–0 series lead at first.[22] He struggled in that series.[22]

At age 35, he had a conference-high 15 points in a win over the Rain or Shine Elastopainters during the 2017 Commissioner's Cup.[23] He also had five rebounds and two assists in that game, giving him Player of the Week honors.[23] He was once again an all-star that year and the following year as well.[24][25]

In 2018, he also participated in the Obstacle Challenge during All-Star Week.[26] The Aces also made the finals for the Governors' Cup, where they lost to the Magnolia Hotshots in six games.[27]

In 2019, he scored 21 points against the NLEX Road Warriors to send the Aces to the Philippine Cup playoffs.[28]

On May 17, 2021, Coach Jeffrey Cariaso announced that Thoss had retired.[6]

National team career

[edit]

In 2009, Thoss was named to the Powerade Team Pilipinas for the 2009 FIBA Asia Men's championship.[29] He averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 block in the first three games of the tournament, but those numbers dipped to just 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the last six games.[29] For that performance, he wasn't considered for the 2010 Asian Games and 2011 FIBA Asia Championships in Wuhan, China.[29]

In 2012, Thoss was on the Gilas team that won the gold medal at the Jones Cup.[30] At first, he wasn't allowed to play in the FIBA Asia Cup that year, as Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu insisted that he practice with the Aces instead after a dismal record the previous season.[7] But eventually, he was able to participate in the tournament, where Gilas finished fourth.[29]

The following year, Thoss was named to the Gilas pool for the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.[29] But once again, he was not allowed from joining Gilas practices.[31] Alaska and the national team were able to reach a compromise, which was that Thoss was only allowed to observe practices.[32] He also had to miss a training camp in Lithuania, as he had to have therapy for his back.[12] He was not chosen for the final lineup for that tournament.[33]

In 2015, Thoss was the backup big man for naturalized player Andray Blatche during the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.[34]

Honors

[edit]

On November 12, 2015, he was named as one of Alaska's 30 Greatest Players.[35]

On March 6, 2022, Thoss' number was retired by the Aces. That would be the last number retired by the Alaska franchise, as they were acquired by Converge ICT.

PBA career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

[36][37]

Season-by-season averages

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Alaska 67 21.8 .468 .000 .659 5.6 1.0 .3 .4 6.3
2005–06 Alaska 49 21.0 .475 — .661 5.4 .8 .2 .6 5.7
2006–07 Alaska 53 25.1 .576 — .709 6.2 1.2 .3 .6 10.1
2007–08 Alaska 47 30.3 .537 .000 .732 8.3 1.8 .2 .7 9.6
2008–09 Alaska 47 27.0 .548 .500 .595 6.5 1.0 .4 1.0 8.6
2009–10 Alaska 58 24.8 .535 — .658 5.6 1.1 .2 .7 8.3
2010–11 Alaska 42 32.2 .491 .667 .634 9.7 2.2 .2 1.2 11.6
2011–12 Alaska 35 36.0 .455 .000 .727 8.3 2.1 .4 1.2 12.5
2012–13 Alaska 53 30.6 .463 .000 .619 6.3 1.9 .4 .7 10.0
2013–14 Alaska 43 32.2 .466 .000 .650 7.6 2.4 .4 .8 11.1
2014–15 Alaska 50 22.7 .444 .000 .633 4.6 1.3 .3 .5 7.4
2015–16 Alaska 60 22.8 .493 .364 .687 5.0 1.6 .4 .6 8.3
2016–17 Alaska 28 21.4 .409 .200 .568 4.0 1.0 .5 .4 7.2
2017–18 Alaska 42 17.0 .423 .154 .640 3.3 1.2 .2 .1 5.1
2019 Alaska 38 17.0 .450 .111 .590 3.3 1.0 .5 .3 6.4
Career 712 25.4 .485 .186 .661 6.0 1.4 .3 .7 8.5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "THOSS, Joachim - PBA Profile". Philippine Basketball Association. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Henson, Joaquin (January 24, 2004). "Tallest rookie learns PBA ropes". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Bartholomew, Rafe (2010). Pacific rims : beermen ballin' in flip-flops and the Philippines' unlikely love affair with basketball. New York: New American Library. ISBN 978-0-451-22999-1. OCLC 462903288.
  4. ^ "Tim Cone admits Ryan Gregorio his toughest nemesis in PBA championship series". pba.ph. April 8, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Aces annex 13th title the easy way". ABS-CBN News. August 19, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Suyu, Ian. "Sonny Thoss hangs jersey". Daily Tribune. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Thoss' Gilas stint up in air as Alaska puts its foot down". Spin.ph. August 30, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "Pressure on Trillo as Aces off to slow start". Spin.ph. October 12, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Casio's time to shine as Aces win at last". Spin.ph. October 14, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "Aces revival, new role take Thoss' mind away from trade rumors". Spin.ph. November 1, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  11. ^ INQUIRER.net (March 11, 2013). "THE SILENT OPERATOR TAKES CENTERSTAGE". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "Thoss hopeful of making Gilas lineup despite missing Lithuania camp". Spin.ph. May 20, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "Alaska sweeps Ginebra to win 14th PBA title". RAPPLER. May 19, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Flores, Celest R. (October 18, 2013). "Arwind Santos is 2013 PBA MVP, Abueva Rookie of the Year". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  15. ^ "Alaska's Thoss, Espinas pounce on Pingris' absence to break San Mig's spirit". Spin.ph. December 27, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Thoss not losing hope on Alaska despite career game going down the drain". Spin.ph. January 4, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "Sonny Thoss says failed title defense a learning curve for Alaska Aces". Spin.ph. May 12, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "June Mar named 2014 PBA MVP, Slaughter is Rookie of the Year". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  19. ^ "Alaska coach Luigi Trillo defends Abueva and Thoss inclusion in PBA All-Star team". Spin.ph. March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "JVee Casio, Sonny Thoss, Cyrus Baguio sign fresh three-year deals with Alaska | InterAksyon.com | Sports5". September 24, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "June Mar Fajardo admits learning a lot from 'experienced' Sonny Thoss in Finals rivalry". Spin.ph. January 22, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  22. ^ a b BELO, OMAR GLENN D. (February 4, 2016). "See rise, decline in players' numbers in three Alaska wins and SMB victories in last four". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "PBA Player of the Week: Who else but Sonny Thoss". pba.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  24. ^ Sacamos, Karlo (April 26, 2017). "Warm CDO reception makes Mindanao All-Star 'imports' Troy Rosario, Sonny Thoss feel at home". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  25. ^ Nicolas, Jino (May 22, 2018). "PBA All-Star '18 festivities roll out". BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  26. ^ Sacamos, Karlo (April 12, 2018). "Maliksi defends PBA 3-point shootout title as big men take over Obstacle Challenge". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Marquez, CJ (December 19, 2018). "Magnolia captures 2018 PBA Governors' Cup title". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  28. ^ Terrado, Reuben (April 7, 2019). "Compton says Thoss resurgence makes it feel 'like 2007' all over again". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c d e Flojo, Enzo (April 10, 2013). "Gilas Diaries: Sonny Disposition". RAPPLER. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  30. ^ "The day Gilas brought home the 2012 Jones Cup crown". pba.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  31. ^ "Thoss status with Gilas in doubt as MVP wades into dispute". Spin.ph. February 15, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  32. ^ "Thoss can join Gilas practices, but only as observer; Salud approved setup, says Uytengsu". Spin.ph. February 18, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  33. ^ Ogden, Maxwell (August 2, 2013). "Philippines Basketball Team: Smart Gilas Roster and FIBA Asia 2013 Predictions". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  34. ^ "Gilas super-subs Sonny Thoss, Asi Taulava ready to hold fort for injured Andray Blatche". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  35. ^ Ramos, Gerry (November 12, 2015). "Alaska honors '30 greatest players' in franchise history to celebrate 30th year in PBA". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  36. ^ [1] PBA-Online.net
  37. ^ [2] Real GM
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