2024 PG Dedan Thomas Jr. Includes UCLA Men's Basketball in Top 6
The Bruins have been named a contender for one of the top West Coast prospects in the upcoming cycle.
Class of 2024 point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. slashed his list of programs down to six finalists and UCLA men’s basketball made the cut, the 6-foot-1 playmaker announced Monday on Twitter. Alongside the blue and gold, the Liberty High School (NV) product named Arizona, Florida, Gonzaga, Houston and UNLV as the other finalists.
UCLA offered Thomas on June 20 – the same day as Arizona, Florida and Houston – after watching him play at Section 7 Team Camp in Glendale, Arizona.
Coach Mick Cronin and his staff have been in regular communication with Thomas since the unlimited contact period opened on June 15.
247Sports, ESPN, On3 and Rivals all have Thomas pegged as a four-star prospect sitting right on the outskirts of five-star territory. According to the 247Sports Composite, the Henderson, Nevada, native is ranked as the No. 30 player in the nation, the No. 3 point guard in his class and the No. 1 player in Nevada.
On the West Coast, Thomas is the No. 1 ranked point guard in the region.
Thomas averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 49% from the field as a sophomore at Liberty in 2022. Now, as a junior, Thomas is likely to see an increased offensive role heading into the upcoming campaign.
Redshirt freshman guard Will McClendon played his AAU ball for Dream Vision, which happens to be the same team that Thomas suits up for on the circuit.
Cronin already recruited McClendon to come to Westwood from Nevada and could be trying to do the same with Thomas.
In a Sept. 8 interview with 247Sports, Thomas spoke about the possibility of reclassifying to the class of 2023, and while he has not come close to committing to doing so, he has left the door open.
"Earlier in the year, it was something we were looking to do and it looked like a very attractive situation to us but as of now I am not doing it," Thomas said. "I am leaving my options open though so it is still a possibility."
Redshirt senior Tyger Campbell is likely entering his final year with the Bruins and five-star freshman Amari Bailey is likely a one-and-done candidate. Freshman guard Dylan Andrews is thus set to take over the point guard role in 2023, but future depth behind him is still minimal.
If Thomas were to reclassify to the class of 2023, he could earn substantial playing time from the get-go and provide the Bruins with a backup for Andrews immediately. If he were to stay in the class of 2024 and commit to UCLA, he would be the first member of Cronin's recruiting class in that cycle.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DEDAN THOMAS JR./TWITTER
