Dominique Tham’s basketball journey recently brought him back to Wakefield High School, where he was a standout boys player for the Warriors.
Tham — a 2015 Wakefield graduate — was on hand Monday night (Feb. 10) to have his uniform jersey No. 32 honored during a brief ceremony prior to Wakefield’s home varsity game against the Yorktown Patriots.
Wakefield’s longtime head coach Tony Bentley set a criteria when he took over that each of his players chosen first-team all-region, or better, while playing for him would be asked to return at a future game to have his jersey honored.
The versatile 6-foot-4 center/forward qualified as having been a first-team all-region player. Bentley said no other Wakefield player will wear uniform No. 32 while he’s coaching the team.
“I am deeply honored to have my jersey retired, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to every single one of you who cheered me on throughout my career at Wakefield High School,” Tham said at the ceremony. “Wearing this jersey has been a privilege and I am proud to leave a legacy on this court. This jersey isn’t just mine, it belongs to all of us, and to wear it was one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Tham was a three-year starter for Wakefield. He was chosen the all-conference and all-region Player of the Year during his time, and also was a two-time all-conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Tham helped lead the Warriors to three conference championships, a region title and runner-up finish, plus an overall Wakefield record of 73-13 during his three seasons. In district and conference play, Wakefield was 45-2 with Tham.
Since Bentley took over in 2002, Tham has been the Warriors’ scoring leader with 1,321 career points. Tham also is the leading rebounder (834) and shot-blocker (307). His 103 career steals rank eighth during Bentley’s tenure, and his 129 assists fall just outside the top 10.
“To the [Wakefield] coaches, especially coach Bentley, your guidance and wisdom were invaluable to my development and growth,” Tham said.
After Wakefield, Tham played college basketball for Wheeling Jesuit University for two seasons, then finished at the University of Mount Olive for two more.
Since college, Tham has played professionally in several leagues, including three seasons with the Vietman Pro Basketball League. He helped lead the Nha Trang Dolphins to the playoffs all three years, averaging single-game double figures in scoring and rebounds.
Tham recently signed to play for the Plaza Fernando Valerio team in the International Basketball Federation in the Dominican Republic.
