Sam Thomas had to do it all for her team last year. That’s a big load for any freshman, but the 2017-18 squad was short-handed and she was the player UA coach Adia Barnes turned to.
Thomas stepped up.
She scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had two steals and three blocks in her first-ever college game. By the end of the season, Thomas led all Pac-12 freshmen in the rebounding, steals, blocks and minutes, and was a candidate for the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award. That honor ended up going to Oregon’s Satou Sabally, who led all first-year players in scoring.
“She deserved it,” Thomas says now.
That’s just how Thomas rolls. She’s quiet, understated and poised — all traits that show up when she takes the court. Thomas and the Wildcats will take on Colorado at noon Sunday with a chance to sweep a weekend series. The UA beat Utah 66-55 on Friday night.
“She just wants to win and focuses on what needs to be done at any time,” teammate Dominique McBryde said of Thomas. “Without Sam, it would be pretty hard to stay in games. Sam is under everyone’s radar. She has that ‘silent assassin’ game — not too flashy. She can score at any time. You don’t realize until the game is over just what she has done. She’s a great all-around player and could be great on any team.”
Thomas is continuing to do all the little things this season — many of which don’t get into the box score — that make her stand out. Coaches and teammates rave about her ability to deflect passes, narrow passing lanes, alter shots, dive after 50/50 balls, and be, basically, in the right place at the right time.
Thomas scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, blocked two shots and had two steals in last week’s 69-59 win over Washington. But she was excited about one thing when she talked to her dad, Derek: a bone-crushing screen she set to get a teammate open.
Arizona’s Sam Thomas (14) keeps an eye on the basket while getting off a shot in a crowd of California defenders in their Pac-12 game at McKale Center, Friday, January 11, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Friday night against Utah, she chased down a long rebound on a missed 3 to give her team an extended possession, and saved a few errant passes from going out of bounds. On defense, she swatted four balls and grabbed two steals — just a few of the things that make her happy.
“Defense is always the most important,” said Thomas, who has collected 29 blocks and has 45 steals so far this season. “My teammates joke that I’m in the right place at the right time with my long arms and I just happen to get it. It’s more fun when I steal the ball or block them.”
Thomas’ offense, by comparison, is lacking. She averaged 10.2 points per game as a freshman, and the expectations were that she would be the team’s second scorer behind Aari McDonald. She’s averaging 9.6 points this season for Arizona (16-8, 6-7) while shooting 42.3 percent from the field.
She’s come on strong lately, averaging 13.4 points and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range over the last three games. Thomas said she had no doubt her scoring would return.
Staying aggressive and taking her shot when she’s open will be key to the Wildcats’ success over the last five games of the season and into the Pac-12 tournament and postseason. Arizona needs Thomas to contribute on offense, especially as defenses key on McDonald.
“A player like Sam can provide a lot,” said Pac-12 Networks analyst Joan Bonvicini, a former UA coach. “Sam is an important piece. She’s versatile. She is scoring more of late and making herself a viable option. She should be a double-figure scorer and needs seven or eight rebounds per game. … You don’t have to be flashy to be effective and valuable. She puts the team before herself and she is an important option. Her real value is leadership in the locker room. Leading by example and by working. She needs to be a role model in everything she does.
“I like Sam, and think she can do even more than she’s showing.”
