Former Centennial star leads resurgence of Arizona program

Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes raved Wednesday about Centennial alum turned Wildcats senior Sam Thomas. After all, she is a four-year captain, the school’s Student-Athletic Advisory Committee president and, as of Thursday, the Pac-12’s women’s basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“She’s so much more than athlete,” Barnes said. “She’s going to be successful at anything she does.”

Basketball included.

Thomas is back in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament as one of the best players in the league. Earlier this week, the forward was named to the all-conference and all-defensive teams, solidifying her standing as one of the Pac-12’s most impactful players.

Her second-seeded Wildcats are ranked No. 11 in the country and rolled Thursday into the semifinals with a 60-44 win over No. 7 Washington State at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Thomas had seven points on 2-of-4 shooting. Her leadership has helped key the program’s transformation from a perennial cellar dwellar to a regional powerhouse.

“She’s not afraid to hold her teammates accountable,” Barnes said. “She’s fearless. She’s selfless.”

Thomas starred locally for Centennial as a do-it-all forward and bought into Barnes’ vision as a four-star recruit in the 2017 class. The coach was hired after the 2015-16 campaign and tasked with rebuilding the Wildcats, for whom she played before her seven-year WNBA career.

Barnes said Thomas epitomized the type of player she wanted to coach.

“She could just do so many things and she had such a high basketball IQ,” Barnes explained. “Coming from a top program and knowing what it takes to win, I think there’s a tremendous amount of value to that too.”

The Wildcats finished 6-24 during Thomas’ freshman season of 2017-18, and she said she hadn’t ever lost that much in her life. But she powered through the year, averaging 10 points and 7.0 rebounds as one of the top freshmen in conference.

The Wildcats improved in her sophomore year of 2018-19, posting an 24-13 mark and claiming the WNIT championship. They were even better last season, finishing 24-7 and fourth in the Pac-12 to foreshadow this season’s improvement.

Thomas has started all 117 games she’s played at Arizona, averaging 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals over the course of her career. She’s flourished off the court as well, growing into an affable, charismatics leader who doubles as a dynamic, versatile two-way wing.

“She’s been very even-keeled and very positive. She’s always smiling and she plays for fun and to win,” said her father, Derek, a veteran Division-I coach who works now with the Las Vegas Knicks, a club program. “She doesn’t get caught up in points. … It’s just been about social time and having fun,” he added.

Thomas is excited to be back in Las Vegas, where she played before her family and friends for the first time this season. She’ll play here again in the semifinals on Friday and is enjoying what’s left of her college career.

“I just wanted to develop as a player and get the team better each year,” said Thomas, whose sisters, Bailey and Jade, play for UNLV. “We reached all our goals this year so far, so hopefully we can reach another one with a Pac-12 title.

“It’s just been a crazy ride.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.