The Family Reason for Dedan Thomas Jr.'s Commitment to Houston
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The next point guard in line for the Houston Cougars has been decided. It's an incoming senior transfer from LSU in Dedan Thomas Jr.
Houston is expected to remain competitive in 2026-27, and the key component to make that possible is a capable point guard. The Cougars have a talented front court in Joseph Tugler, who returns for his senior season, along with freshman center Arafan Diane and now redshirt sophomore wing Chase McCarty.
Mercy Miller is also among that starting pool of talent for Houston, and he now has his backcourt partner in Thomas Jr. While he finally joined Houston in the last year of college eligibility, this was an opportunity waiting to happen.
The goal to play for Houston wasn't just set in this transfer portal period for Thomas Jr. It's been set since high school. The reason for all this has been his father, Dedan Thomas Sr.
Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Houston detailed this connection in his piece on Saturday about the impact of Thomas Jr.'s father in the decision to play for Houston, and most importantly play for Kelvin Sampson.
Wanting To Be Coached Hard
“We always thought it was a good fit — his mom and I,” Thomas Sr. said to PaperCity. “We wanted him to go there out of high school.”
Thomas Jr. clearly had an interest in playing for the Cougars out of high school as he went on an official visit to Houston during the fall of his senior season in Oct. 2022. Houston had even offered him early in the summer in July of that year.
That would've put him in line to take over after Jamal Shead as a sophomore, but Thomas Jr. chose to stay home and committed to UNLV as a four-star high school recruit. The Las Vegas native looked to be following in the footsteps of his dad, who played at UNLV himself as a point guard.
The connections remain interesting as Thomas Sr. was a coach himself in the Vegas area and was on the staff of Mike Uzan, the father of Milos Uzan, at El Dorado High. Of course, Milos was also a Vegas native and just finished his last two seasons of college basketball at Houston as the starting point guard.
Thomas Jr. will now take those reigns. Baldwin also notes that he and Uzan have known each other since before Thomas Jr. was even in kindergarten.
Thomas Sr. thinks Houston is the perfect place for his son to be at.
"I always thought it was a good fit. Again, this is a very unique and really good opportunity for my son to learn from one of the best coaches that’s ever coached Division I basketball," Thomas Sr. said to PaperCity.
The high level of physicality, development and playing hard were all ideals that Thomas Sr. appreciates and believes is something that his son can handle. He notes that it is a different level of playing hard at Houston.
Thomas Jr. averaged 15.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 16 games last season for LSU before he suffered a left foot injury that required season-ending surgery. His father details that his recovery is way ahead of schedule.
Houston's new point guard is described by his father as a leader with intangibles of a high IQ floor general. His moment with the Cougars has now arrived.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.