Gatorade 2022 - 2023: Player of the Year

Boys Basketball - Nevada

athletes playing Boys Basketball
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BOYS BASKETBALL

Dedan ‘DJ’ Thomas

Guard
LIBERTY HS
HENDERSON, NEVADA
JUNIOR
Height: 6-FOOT-1
Press Release

Peak Performance

22.8

Average Points (per game)

3.9

Average Rebounds (per game)

5.100

Average Assists (per game)

1.2

Average Steals (per game)
“He’s one of the best point guards in the country at running a team and setting up his teammates. He’s a student of the game and when it comes to handling the ball or facing pressure, he does so with maturity and purpose. What separates him from others is his high-assist [to] low-turnover ratio. He’s the ultimate point guard, whether playing an up-tempo pace or in the half-court. He’s a pass-first player, but not a pass-only point guard.”
Paul Biancardi
National Recruiting Director for ESPN
excellence star

Athletic Excellence

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior guard averaged 22.8 points and 5.1 assists per game this past season, leading the Patriots (21-10) to the Class 5A state championship game. Thomas also averaged 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while connecting on 81.4 percent of his free throw attempts (179-of-220). He is ranked as the nation’s No. 21 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN.com.

a graduation cap

Academic Achievement

Thomas has maintained a weighted 3.34 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.

first place ribbon

Exemplary Character

A member of his local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Thomas has volunteered locally on behalf of food and clothing drives for the homeless, and he has donated his time as a youth basketball coach and counselor.