Liberty point guard will forgo senior season, play early at UNLV

Dedan Thomas Jr., the highly touted local point guard whose commitment to UNLV represented a major recruiting win for the Rebels, will make his debut at the Thomas &Mack Center this coming season.

UNLV announced Monday the 6-foot-1-inch point guard will join the Rebels as a freshman for the 2023-24 season, forgoing his senior season at Liberty.

“Reclassing up is the best decision for me and I believe I am ready for it,” Thomas said in a release. “I have accomplished each one of the goals that I had set for myself during my high school career.”

Thomas, the son of former UNLV guard and honorable mention All-American Dedan Thomas, committed to the Rebels May 14. He chose UNLV over offers from college blue-blood programs Arizona, UCLA, Florida, Houston and Gonzaga.

He led Liberty to a Class 5A state championship as a sophomore. Thomas guided the Patriots back to the state championship game as a junior, but they lost to Durango. During his final season at Liberty, Thomas averaged 22.8 points and 5.1 assists.

“It is always great to be able to add a talented local player to the roster, and him being a legacy student-athlete makes it special,” coach Kevin Kruger said in the release. “We are looking forward to having D.J. as a part of our program with the winning pedigree he brings as a point guard.”

Thomas is one of several players joining the UNLV roster for the 2023-24 season. The Rebels added former Clark and Oklahoma forward Jalen Hill, forward Kalib Boone and guard Keylan Boone through the transfer portal. UNLV will also welcome incoming freshman guard Brooklyn Hicks and junior college transfer forward Rob Whaley Jr.

UNLV has one scholarship remaining.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.