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https://lasvegassun.com/news/2023/may/14/hometown-hoops-star-dj-thomas-commits-to-unlv/

Hometown hoops star D.J. Thomas commits to UNLV

Instant impact

Let there be no pretense of “position battles” or “preseason competition” — Thomas is UNLV’s starting point guard, no question about it.

Kruger was very intentional in the way he reconfigured the roster this offseason, adding transfers Keylan Boone, Kalib Boone and Jalen Hill to fill out the wings and frontcourt positions. The coaching staff kicked the tires on a few veteran point guards in the portal, but the preferred option all along was to reel in Thomas and get him on campus a year early.

 

Vision complete

Speaking of roster construction, this has to feel like a mic-drop kind of moment for Kruger. After missing the tournament his first two years in charge — and drawing some criticism for not landing big-name recruits — he went into the offseason with a plan, and on Sunday he stuck the landing.

The Scarlet and Gray should be formidable in 2023-24, with size and shooting on the perimeter, athleticism in the frontcourt, and talented, willing defenders up and down the roster. Adding an explosive playmaker in Thomas is the final piece for a team that now looks like a top-tier Mountain West contender.

Recruiting strategy

It’s been a while since UNLV has landed a prep talent like Thomas. Marvin Menzies was the last coach to pull it off when he inked 5-star center Brandon McCoy from the Class of 2017; since then, the program’s track record with high schoolers has been spotty.

Kruger was on staff as an assistant when T.J. Otzelberger secured commitments from Zaon Collins and Arthur Kaluma, both of whom were blue chippers in the Class of 2021, but that all fell apart when Collins was arrested following a fatal car accident and Kaluma de-committed in the wake of Otzelberger’s departure. Since then, the vast majority of Kruger's recruiting has been focused on the transfer portal.

Could Thomas’s commitment signal a return to high-stakes prep recruiting under Kruger’s leadership? Kruger has been selective about handing scholarships to prep players, signing just one apiece in each of his first two incoming classes, but there are two coming in this year (Thomas and Washington guard Brooklyn Hicks), and momentum is real in the recruiting world.

With one open scholarship remaining, does Kruger try to strike while the iron is hot?

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On 5/14/2023 at 11:40 AM, 303Rebel said:

Kevin finally recruited a PG to UNLV, I have to say I’m impressed he closed a former Rebels kid to boot!  Now get a 5 while the iron is hot!

There’s a strong chance that we land Adrame Diongue.

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when was the last time we landed a legacy player from Tark's days?

He's not kevie or krugie jr today. Hats off to the Head Coach Kevin Kruger. He's got UNLV back in the national spotlight by landing Dedan and DAMN it feels good to win recruiting battles against Zaga, UCLA, and the other big boys again. It's where we SHOULD BE, and WE ARE THERE. Finally! 

Let's fuggin' GO

 

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Rebel18_zps27699187.gif

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https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/article/college-basketball-recruiting-top-25-junior-dedan-thomas-commits-210225601/

Kevin Kruger and UNLV received some seriously good news on Sunday when star junior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. rewarded their tireless pursuit of him the last two years by announcing that he would stay home for college and follow in the footsteps of his father who played for the Rebels in the 90's.

Ranked No. 22 nationally in the class of 2024, the 6-foot-1 floor general at Henderson (Nev.) Liberty said that things just felt right when he was on campus getting to know Kruger and the rest of the Rebels.

"I'm going to UNLV, I'm staying home," Thomas told 247sports.com. "I'm very excited about it. I got a special feeling when I was campus, I didn't get that feeling anywhere else, I just felt that really special feeling in my heart when I was on campus and around all of those guys."

One of the most skilled players in the country regardless of position, Thomas plays the game with an off the charts IQ and he's equally dangerous as a scorer or facilitator for others. He's elusive off the dribble, tough and has a very mature mindset on the floor.

"I think I bring a different culture to a team," said Thomas. "Any team that I've been a part of has been about winning and I'm about winning so I think I will help to bring that winning mentality to the program."

The skill and feel for the game are all there, Thomas just needs to keep getting stronger before he shows up on campus.

"I need to keep getting my body right. I feel like from the shoulders and up my head is college ready but from the shoulders down I need to keep on getting stronger."

Getting the commitment out of the way is a huge relief for Thomas. Not only are his parents excited that he'll be staying home, but he's also been talking trash with his father -- who averaged 6.5 assists per game during his career -- about who will end up doing the most damage in a Rebels uniform.

"They were really excited when they found out. My mom almost started crying and my dad is really proud of me too. My dad played there so I've been talking some trash to him about having to do better.

"This is a big relief to have this off of my shoulders and now I can enjoy the rest of my AAU summer."

 
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On 5/14/2023 at 2:05 PM, ph90702 said:

😂!  If you’re so good at scouting, why not change careers?

I’ve seen enough to see that there’s plenty to work with.

Again, we can sit around and pretend that he will turn into something.  I know he won't.

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https://www.prospectiveinsight.com/post/dj-thomas-commitment

PI: What type of goals have you set for yourself at the college level?
DT: Obviously during my college career I want to try and win a National Championship, of course. Win a conference championship and all that. Just win as much as possible — that’s all. No self-accolades, yet. I’m just focused on winning as many games as possible.

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Glad to see a Texas team didn’t swoop in at the last minute, lol, his mom posting the Texas time made me a little worried that we’d all been hearing the wrong thing. Glad he’s a Rebel. Sounds like basketball will be fun again. 

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