Sam Thomas is more than just a basketball player.
Last season, teammate Dominique McBryde would shout out βSam Thomas, 4.0 student,β to anyone who would listen.
Now, McBryde can add another word to describe Thomas: advocate.
This week, Thomas penned an open letter about mental health assistance and starred in an athletic department-produced video about it. In the video, Alex Auerbach, the UAβs Director of Clinical & Sports Psychology, talked about some of the services available to student-athletes, including a drop-in mental health support group.
Thomas wrote:
We are student-athletes. We compete at the highest levels of our sport and under the brightest of lights. The pressure of the game can be a lot. Being a college student has a lot of demands. Mental health isnβt just a student-athlete issues because there are millions of Americans going through something.
The national conversation about emotional, psychological and social wellbeing is changing. Professional and Olympic athletes from around the world are speaking about the importance of this issue. How athletes handle the pressure of their sport and of life is also changing.
Mental health and wellbeing are part of Arizonaβs Commitment to an Athleteβs Total Success. At the University of Arizona, WILDCATS CARE! Wildcats are leaders in this important field, and we are changing the conversation. The Wildcat Journey is about driving student-athlete success and the holistic development and wellness during our careers and in life after graduation.
C.A.T.S. mental health services are part of the foundation of the student-athlete experience at the University of Arizona. We have resources to help us live the Wildcat Way. We are Wildcats and we are all in this together.
Meet the team
More than 800 season ticket holders watched an open practice Thursday afternoon. It was no ordinary workout.
It was more than just practice. Barnes talked, and fans participated in a Q&A. Thomas and freshman Helena Pueyo played H.O.R.S.E. with a young fan, and McBryde re-enacted her singing of βWe are the Championsβ from the WNIT celebration.
If that wasnβt enough, fans were entertained by McBryde, Thomas, and Bryce Nixon acting out a Tik-Tok video β their latest go-to activity.
Outtakes from Pac-12 Media Day
Once again, Arizona was the darling of the Pac-12 Media Day. Commissioner Larry Scott mentioned the Wildcats and their WNIT Championship in his opening remarks.
Pac-12 analyst Mary Murphy was quick to praise Barnes.
βLook what Adia has accomplished on the floor, off the floor β the kind of women that are in her program β itβs astonishing and the ball is going to keep rolling,β she said.
Pac-12 coaches selected the Wildcats to finish sixth in the conference, a year after they were picked near the bottom. ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli thinks the Pac-12 might send eight teams to the NCAA Tournament, with Arizona being one of them.
This year, the Pac-12 added to the fun for coaches and players during media day. Tee Tee Starks and Aari McDonald played a game of whatβs in the box.
Each had to put a hand in a hole on the side of the box and feel what was on the plate. McDonald was hesitant β especially after she felt a pile of mashed potatoes. Starks was a bit more adventurous.
They also played Mario Kart and pop-a-shot.
Rim shots
β’ Barnes was honored with the first Dick Tomey Strong Award Thursday at the Arizona Bowl Kickoff Luncheon. UA donors Cole and Jeannie Davis were given the Jon & Heather Volpe Tucson Strong Award.
β’ The UA is offering a five-game flex pass for the 2019-20 season. The pass gives fans admission to any five games during the season.
β’ The NCAA is resetting the clock to 20 seconds after offensive teams grabs rebounds in the frontcourt. Previously, the clock was reset to 30 seconds. In addition, if the ball is kicked, punched or a defensive player fouls, the clock will reset to 20 seconds.
β’ For now, the three-point line will remain the same at 20 feet 9 inches β unlike the menβs line, which moved back.
β’ The other change is player conduct. If a player has one technical and one unsportsmanlike foul in a game, they will be ejected and the other team gets the ball. The referee can look at any misconduct when reviewing plays.
