Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 | 2 a.m.
• Age: 19
• Class: Sophomore
• 2023-24 stats: 34 games, 13.6 points, 5.1 assists, 44.9 FG%, 36.2 3FG%
• NBA comparison: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
• How he spent his offseason: “I feel like I’ve gotten stronger, a lot quicker. My shot has improved a lot. I feel like I’ve gotten smarter; I have a year under my belt, so I feel a lot more comfortable going into this year.”
• Favorite restaurant: Pho Saigon
• Biggest college rival: Donovan Dent, New Mexico guard
• Can he dunk at 6-foot-1?: “Absolutely.”
• Goal for 2024-25: “Win the Mountain West conference. That’s the most important thing for us.”
D.J. Thomas is a young man with options.
As one of the best point guards in the nation—and one with three years of college eligibility remaining—the UNLV star could have chosen to enter the transfer portal over the summer and hand-picked his next destination. Big crowds, bigger TV audiences and a guaranteed path to the NCAA Tournament were his for the taking.
And he could have gotten a lot of money for his trouble.
So why is Thomas still in Las Vegas, wearing a Scarlet and Gray practice jersey with a huge smile on his face as he helps his UNLV team prepare for the upcoming season? Why not Gonzaga, or Houston, or Duke, or some other program with deep pockets?
According to Thomas, the answer is pretty simple.
“A lot of people wonder why I chose UNLV,” he says. “Everyone asks about the NIL and the money and stuff. I don’t really care about that.”
That’s a boon for UNLV, which is positioned to compete for a Mountain West title this season with Thomas running the show. Without him? That would have been a disaster for a program that is 12 years removed from its most recent NCAA berth and now entering its fourth year under head coach Kevin Kruger.
Thomas earned Mountain West Co-Freshmen of the Year honors for his play in 2023-24, which saw him start all 34 games (the only UNLV player to do so) and average 13.6 points and 5.1 assists, both team highs. In the MWC tournament, he scored 29 points in an overtime loss to San Diego State.
But losing Thomas wouldn’t have just been about erasing his production from the lineup—it would have dealt a spiritual blow to the program as well, considering Thomas is a second-generation UNLV baller and a local high-school hero. His father, Dedan Thomas, played under Jerry Tarkanian from 1991 to 1994, and D.J. played his prep ball at Liberty, where he led the Patriots to a state championship in 2022.
Thomas has been attending games at the Thomas & Mack Center since before he can remember. His father filled him with stories about Tark and J.R. Rider and the great UNLV teams of the 1990s.
Because of Thomas’ bond with the program, the prospect of leading the Scarlet and Gray back to the NCAA Tournament is personal.
“Last year, that first game walking out the tunnel and just looking around, I was born and raised here, so it was just crazy,” Thomas says. “So surreal. Just knowing my dad walked out that same tunnel, too, that was crazy. Seeing him in the stands with that big smile on his face, it was great. It was a great feeling.”
That’s a player you can’t let walk out the door.
Kruger says he and his staff have shifted their focus from recruiting the portal to player retention, with an eye toward building the kind of continuity the coaches believe wins in March. Keeping Thomas around to serve as UNLV’s go-to guy was obviously the most important piece of that puzzle.
Though Thomas says money isn’t everything, he is earning six figures this year at UNLV, as he did last year, through name, image and likeness sponsorship deals. He could have made a lot more by transferring, but he says he never entertained the idea in any serious way, due to his legacy at UNLV and the relationship he has built with the coaching staff.
Kruger has known the Thomas family for years and began recruiting D.J. when he was a freshman at Liberty. Thomas trusts his coach, and he understands money can’t buy that kind of relationship.
“I didn’t really have any intent or thought of leaving. I feel like staying at UNLV and having these coaches, they have my best interest at heart. They’ve been putting me in position to succeed, so I didn’t really have any thoughts of leaving.”
Nothing is guaranteed in college basketball. Thomas could choose to transfer after this season after all. He could decide to go pro and enter the NBA Draft. He could end up as a four-year superstar, leading his hometown team back to NCAA Tournament glory. Again, he’s got options.
For now, for D.J. Thomas, it’s UNLV.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.