3 players Arizona Basketball recruited who are in the transfer portal
By Mason Duhon
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. player. . Class of 2023. 4-star (95 grade). DTJ. Dedan Thomas Jr.. Dedan Thomas Jr.. G. 2284
Full transparency: no word has officially come out about Thomas Jr. entering the transfer portal, but rumblings suggest he may be on the way out. Despite being the son of UNLV basketball legend Dedan Thomas Sr., the rumor mill has already linked the younger Thomas to both Arizona and Houston — two schools he earned offers from coming out of high school.
Thomas was highly coveted in high school, earning additional offers from Gonzaga, UCLA, Florida, and USC, but chose the Rebels likely due to family ties. However, UNLV is far from the elite program it was back in the day, and third-year head coach Kevin Kruger (who's a first-team head coach) has yet to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Thomas was one of the main bright spots on the team. He earned co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors while leading UNLV in scoring with 13.6 points per game. When he wasn't scoring, he was dealing: he averaged 5.1 assists per game — 174 total — and nearly quadrupled the next-best (46). His efforts earned him All-Mountain West Second Team honors, and he would further jolt a point guard room already loaded with juice if he were to land in Tucson.