From the moment Sam Thomas stepped onto the UA campus four years ago, sheβs been a leader.
She has always done whatever is needed β and with a smile on her face.
Play any position on the court? No problem.
Play tenacious defense? You got it.
Always bring a consistent level of competitiveness? For sure.
This year, however, the fifth-year senior is being asked to do something a little different: Be the face of a Wildcats team looking to return to the Final Four.
For years, Thomas watched closely as Aari McDonald held that title. Now, itβs Thomasβ time.
βI think Coach Adia (Barnes) has prepared me pretty well β I mean weβve had a lot of time to prepare. Iβve been here going on five years,β Thomas said with a laugh.
Thomas says Barnes taught her βthe little thingsβ early in her career before βpassing me the torchβ following McDonaldβs departure for the WNBA.
Barnes credits Thomas for putting in the work.
βSam prepared herself,β she said. βSheβs been slowly getting better at different things. And I think she has more of a voice now β a lot of that comes from confidence, comes from experience βand I think sheβs just raised her own standards of herself and her teammates. β¦ Sheβs grown into her own self. Sheβs becoming the best version of herself, and I love to see it because sheβs completely different than when she came.β
Thomas played for a Las Vegas Centennial High School program that rarely lost. Arizona was an adjustment, to say the least.
The rebuilding Wildcats lost 24 games her freshman year, finishing 11th in the Pac-12. Thomas, a captain as a freshman, consistently β and confidently β answered questions after every setback.
Even then, she was a leader. Four years later, there may not be a more recognizable student on campus.
βEvery mother, father β everybody β wants Sam to be their daughter β¦ because of who she is and how she plays basketball and everything she does outside of basketball,β senior guard Bendu Yeaney said. βSheβs the perfect leader, on and off the court. Sheβs a perfect example of our program. Little girls want to be like Sam, and I think thatβs a great thing.β
Each year, Thomas has done things outside of basketball to build that confidence. She has been co-president of the student-athlete advisory committee, a member of the UAβs peer athletic leadership group and member of the mental health support group. She spent a summer interning for Nikeβs Global Running Brand Marketing Team.
And last month, Thomas was the lone student-athlete to take part on a UA panel about name, image and likeness in Washington D.C.
βI donβt think there is a better representative of our athletic department than Sam Thomas,β Barnes said. βIn my opinion, Sam should be Woman of the Year, which I think she will be. When I see her in different areas like that, thereβs always a confidence that I know sheβs going to represent us really well.
βI am very proud that sheβs part of our team. Sheβs every coachβs dream. You want someone who will represent off the court and on the court in a great manner. She does everything we ask, but what I love is that sheβs able to do that now β the confidence and that great voice. As a freshman, that would have been a lot harder. Itβs good to see the growth every single year and itβs been fun to be a part of that.β
And Barnesβ support matters.
βWhen your head coach has a great deal of confidence and belief in you, it really helps you as a player achieve things that maybe you werenβt sure you could do,β said Joan Bonvicini, a former UA coach who is now a Pac-12 Networks analyst. βBut I think now, Sam does.β
Now that itβs Thomasβ team, sheβs taken her leadership skills up a notch. Often, that means having difficult conversations with teammates to make sure theyβre working hard β and working together.
Little by little sheβs learning who responds to vocal criticism β and who doesnβt.
Spanish freshman Gisela Sanchez is in the latter category. Sanchez is still perfecting her English, and there are times in practice where she can feel overwhelmed. Thomas pulls her to the side and calms her down.
Then, βitβs like a whole new person and sheβs 10 times better,β Thomas said.
Itβs part of what makes Thomas the right person to lead the Wildcats in their first season without McDonald. The UA has been picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 and is ranked No. 22 in Associated Pressβ first poll of the season. Internally, the Wildcats expect to surpass both projections.
βSheβs consistent, sheβs reliable, sheβs coachable, sheβs humble, hungry β and she is a connector, and everybody likes her,β Barnes said. βWhen you respect someone, you like someone, you know they care, you listen to them. I think she could say hard stuff because people know sheβs coming from a good place and thatβs easy from relationships.β
Other coaches have noticed, too. Stanford legend Tara VanDerveer calls Thomas βa really special player.β
βSheβs talented, but she obviously didnβt need to be the center of attention last year with Aari and would do whatever she needed for her team to win. She scores, she plays defense,β VanDerveer said. βThe fact that she wanted to be back β¦ We have super seniors, too, with Anna Wilson and Alyssa Jerome. They want to be in your program. They get it. They can help other people. They know the sacrifices you have to make. I think that Adia is really fortunate that Sam came back, and Sam is really fortunate that she got the opportunity.
βI think itβs a win-win.β