Inside Dedan Thomas Jr.’s Houston Basketball Destiny — Why His Former UNLV Star Dad Always Wanted Him To Play For Kelvin Sampson

To Dedan Thomas Sr. it almost seems like destiny. Or at least the ultimate second (or third) chance. For this former UNLV basketball star swears he always wanted his son to play for Kelvin Sampson at the University of Houston. He wanted it to happen out of high school. Instead, it’s happening now with Dedan Thomas Jr., a 6-foot-1 lefty point guard who’s shown a high-level ability to get into the lane and stress a defense, committing to Houston out of the transfer portal.

“We always thought it was a good fit — his mom and I,” Dedan Thomas Sr. tells PaperCity. “We wanted him to go there out of high school.”

Houston was one of the final schools Dedan Thomas Jr. considered coming out of high school in Las Vegas before he committed to UNLV, staying home and following in the footsteps of his Running Rebels dad, who was Jerry Tarkanian‘s point guard in the legendary (and often controversial) coach’s final season in Las Vegas. Thomas Jr. transferred to LSU before last season with UH’s point guard roster filled up then with star freshman Kingston Flemings and proven senior Milos Uzan.

Neither Thomas expected this final twist, but they are thrilled he is finally a UH player for Kelvin Sampson.

“I just think it’s a good fit,” Dedan Thomas Sr. tells PaperCity. “I always thought it was a good fit. Again, this is a very unique and really good opportunity for my son to learn from one of the best coaches that’s ever coached Division I basketball.”

Dedan Thomas Sr. is a coach himself, his son’s first coach. He started the West Coast Basketball program in Las Vegas 25 years ago and he also coached for the high school level (Eldorado High) for several years on the staff of Mike Uzan, the father of Milos Uzan who just completed his two season run at Houston after his own transfer and is preparing for a pro basketball career. (Milos Uzan and Dedan Thomas Jr., who is still only 20 having gone to college as a 17-year-old, have known each other since before Dedan Thomas was in kindergarten.)

It turns out that the demanding Kelvin Sampson is definitely Dedan Thomas Sr.’s type of coach.

“Coach Sampson is going to coach you really hard. And I’m a coach myself so I don’t mind that,” Thomas Sr. says. “And I never have. I always thought that DJ could handle that. . . I think it’s a really great opportunity for DJ to learn from the best.

“The development at Houston, especially on the defensive end of the court, it’s bar none. Those guys play hard. They always play hard. He just demands that and his coaching staff demands that. And it’s just a culture of playing hard and getting the most out of kids. And that’s what I’ve always wanted for DJ.

“To be demanded to guard. And be demanded to play hard all of the time.”

Dedan Thomas Sr. will tell you that his son played hard at LSU where DJ averaged 15.3 points, 6.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game this last season before a foot injury that required surgery ended his season after 16 games.

But there is playing hard — and then there’s University of Houston basketball playing hard.

“Just Coach Sampson, it’s just a different level,” Dedan Thomas Sr. tells PaperCity. “It’s just an absolutely different level.”

As for Dedan Thomas Jr.’s foot injury?

“He’s running, he’s cutting.” Dedan Thomas Sr. says. “He’s working out now. His rehab — he’s way ahead of schedule. He’s doing really well.”

“We always thought (Houston) was a good fit — his mom and I. We wanted him to go there out of high school.” — Dedan Thomas Sr.

Jumping Into Houston’s Point Guard Legacy

Thomas’ continued successful recovery will be paramount to Houston’s upcoming 2026-27 season. He is being counted to be UH’s next starting point guard, sliding into a backcourt that includes returning shooting guard Mercy Miller and small forward/wing Chase McCarty. Sampson’s program also has already added Kent State power forward Delrecco Gillespie, a 6-foot-8 bruiser who’s already shown elite rebounding skills, out of the transfer portal,. And more front-court help could be on the way in the form of Braden East, a 6-foot-9 forward who excelled at Lamar playing for Alvin Brooks, a well-respected former Sampson assistant who is in the running for future head coaching jobs himself. East is scheduled to visit UH on Tuesday.

Houston is also returning former national defensive player of the year JoJo Tugler, who will get a full summer of injury-free development for really the first time, and adding hulking McDonald’s All-American center Arafan Diane, another physical force.

But none of that works without a point guard to follow in the proven Sampson UH tradition of Galen Robinson Jr., DeJon Jarreau, Jamal Shead, Milos Uzan and Kingston Flemings. Step right up — Dedan Thomas Jr.

“He’s a leader,” Dedan Thomas Sr. says of his son. “He makes people better. Of course, he can score when he needs to. But he’s almost like a coach on the floor out there. He brings all the intangibles I think as a high level, high IQ point guard.”

Dedan Thomas Sr. will always remember the way his son rose to the moment in the Nevada Class 5A championship game against powerhouse Bishop Gorman, putting up a game-high 20 points to stun a program going for a record 10 straight state titles. He is certain Dedan Thomas Jr. — who he calls DJ — remains a big game player just waiting for a major stage. Thomas did not find that at LSU, which finished 15-17 in his one season in Baton Rouge. But he gets a chance to grab it at a UH program that’s made seven straight Sweet 16s and two Final Fours in this remarkable Kelvin Sampson run.

Dedan Thomas Jr.’s Houston time is here. Somehow. Someway. Finally.

“For the last three years, there’s a bunch of What Ifs,” Dedan Thomas Sr. says. “What if, what if, what if. Finally he gets a chance to go play there. And play in a program like that, with a Coach like that, with a proven track record of winning and putting guys in the NBA.”

Dedan Thomas Jr. is a Kelvin Sampson Houston Cougar now. No more What Ifs needed.