Senior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. remembers the childhood days in his driveway, playing 1-on-1 with his father, Dedan Thomas Sr.
His father beat him in 11 consecutive games before the younger Thomas finally snagged a win.
“It was a close game; I think I won by two points,” Thomas Jr. recalled.
The celebration was short-lived.
They played once more, with Thomas Sr. reclaiming bragging rights before retiring from their driveway battles for good.
“My dad, basketball-wise, taught me everything I needed to know to be a point guard,” Thomas Jr. said. “He was a point guard at UNLV for four years. He taught me a lot.”
One lesson Thomas Sr. passed down has stayed with his son throughout his career.
“He’s always taught me from a very young age that the number one job of a point guard is to take care of the ball,” Thomas Jr. said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve kind of always had a knack for making the right decisions.”
His Houston teammates have taken notice.
“He’s a very smart basketball player,” junior guard Corey Hadnot II said. “I feel like his IQ is through the roof. It’s off the charts.”
Before suffering a season-ending left foot injury at LSU last season, Thomas averaged 6.5 assists per game with a 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, putting him among the nation’s most efficient distributors.
It wasn’t just his father who shaped his approach to the game; Thomas’ mother, Tina, instilled in him a quality necessary under coach Kelvin Sampson: toughness.
“My mom also just taught me how to be tough,” Thomas said. “Just being a tough person, on-and-off the floor.”
Years later, a childhood friend gave Thomas a firsthand account of what it takes to play for Houston.
Fellow Las Vegas point guard Milos Uzan had spent two seasons at Houston under Sampson, helping lead the Cougars to the national championship game during his first season.
Before committing to Houston, Thomas reached out to Uzan for advice.
“I called him before. I told him I was probably going to come here,” Thomas said.
Uzan’s response offered a glimpse of the challenges awaiting Thomas.
“You know, it’s hard in the moment. But after you’re done, you’re going to look back and be like, ‘I’m glad I did this.’ It definitely makes you a better person and a better basketball player,” Thomas recalled Uzan telling him.
Houston’s track record of developing point guards was another part of the program’s appeal to Thomas.
“Houston’s a winning program. How could you not want to be a part of something like that?” Thomas said. “Also, what coach Sampson has done with his point guards over the past however many years—it’s been a long time— he’s had guards back-to-back-to-back come in here and have great careers, go to the next level, and have successful careers. It’s hard not to want to be a part of something like that.”
Joining that lineage meant following in the footsteps of guards who helped establish Houston as a destination for point guards. However, it wasn’t Thomas’ first time considering the Cougars.
As a 17-year-old in 2022, he took an official visit to Houston but ultimately chose to stay home in Las Vegas and attend UNLV, like his father.
This time, Thomas committed to Houston with a better understanding of what awaited him. Still, knowing the program’s demands and experiencing them firsthand were two different things.
During his first week on campus, Thomas’ team was swept in a 4-on-4 competition. Sampson made sure he heard about it.
“Coach (Sampson) got on me; he got on me pretty good,” Thomas said. “Ever since then, I haven’t lost a game of 4-on-4.”
That first-week lesson wasn’t the only time Thomas found himself being tested.
“He’s had some hard days, had some tough days, he’s had some soul-searching days,” head-coach-in-waiting Kellen Sampson said. “He knew that coming here.”
Kellen Sampson said Thomas has earned his teammates’ respect by embracing those challenges despite arriving with an established collegiate résumé.
Thomas’ commitment extends beyond practices and games.
“The standard he holds himself to is elite. He does everything the same way,” junior forward Chase McCarty said. “He’s very consistent, doesn’t take days off. Every off day, I come in here, I always see Dedan working out, getting shots up. I feel like his work ethic is one of the best that I’ve seen for sure.”
With plenty of new faces on Houston’s roster, Thomas has taken on responsibilities beyond his role as a point guard.
“I’ve learned that you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone, for sure,” Thomas said. “Definitely leading with my voice a lot more, as well as my actions. Holding guys accountable as well.”
Thomas has heard a saying around the program that the point guard is one of three people who can never have a bad day.
He thinks about it every day.
“Just getting better. Making sure everyone else is having a good day. Keeping a good attitude,” Thomas said.
The mindset carries implications for the entire team.
“He’s the head of our snake, and in a lot of ways, we’ll go as he goes,” Kellen Sampson said.
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