UNLV basketball target D.J. Thomas trims list, could reclassify

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Friday, Oct. 14, 2022 | 2 a.m.

D.J. Thomas’s life was getting a little too busy, so he decided to simplify.

Earlier this week, the coveted Class of 2024 point guard took a necessary step in his recruiting process by narrowing his list of possible college destinations to six: UNLV, Gonzaga, Houston, Arizona, Florida and UCLA.

Now Thomas can focus on the schools he is truly considering, without coaches from dozens of other universities blowing up his phone.

“That’s a lot of the reason why I cut my list—it was a little much,” Thomas said. “There were a lot of schools and all these numbers I have to keep up with in my phone. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time and I didn’t want to bring all that into the school season. So now I can just focus on basketball.”

That peace of mind can only help Thomas as he prepares for his junior season at Liberty. Last year, the 6-foot-1 dynamo averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals while helping the Patriots to a state championship. He followed that campaign with an impressive showing on the summer circuit and is now rated the No. 39 prospect in his class by 247Sports.

Thomas has been playing so well that some of his college suitors believe he’s ready for the next level, gauging his interest in reclassifying to the Class of 2023 in an effort to get him on campus a year sooner.

Thomas is open to the idea.

“Gonzaga, UNLV and Florida would all like me to reclassify and go back up a year,” Thomas said. “That’s definitely a big option for me.”

UNLV remains prominently in the mix for Thomas. He is the school’s top recruiting target under Kevin Kruger, and the coaching staff made several trips to watch him play over the summer.

Despite UNLV turning over its entire assemblage of assistant coaches in the offseason, Thomas has quickly developed a rapport with Kruger and the rest of the staff.

“They text me every day,” Thomas said. “I have a great relationship with coach Kevin Kruger and coach [Barret] Peery. They’ve got a new staff and I’ve been able to build a good relationship with all of them.”

Thomas was in the stands on Friday for UNLV’s open practice at the Thomas & Mack Center, and it sounds as though he liked what he saw.

“It was fun,” he said of the event. “They look good this year. They look very defensive-oriented. They’re a lot more athletic this year, and from what I saw they can shoot the ball pretty well. They’ll have a good year.”

Despite his attempts to simplify, Thomas is still going to be a busy man until he commits. He’s got an unofficial visit to Arizona planned next week, and an unofficial to Gonzaga the week after that. He’s also in the process of finalizing official visits to UCLA and Florida after the new year.

With all that hustle and bustle looming, Thomas is looking forward to the relatively straightforward task of hitting the court with his Liberty teammates and defending their championship.

He’s especially excited about pairing up with his younger brother Tyus Thomas, a freshman guard who is expected to play a key role in the backcourt.

“In all our preseason games he’s definitely made a big impact and helped me out a lot,” Thomas said. “He’s like a little pitbull. He’s tough, he’s scrappy, he’s physical, he defends and he knows how to make plays for others. And he’s a good teammate.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.