Kelvin Sampson sounds off on Dedan Thomas Jr. as Kingston Flemings successor appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Houston basketball officially lost prized freshman Kingston Flemings Sunday to the NBA Draft. But appeared to have his successor lined up beforehand in landing Dedan Thomas Jr. via the College Basketball Transfer Portal. But is Kelvin Sampson buying that narrative?
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Sampson broke his silence on adding the former LSU and UNLV star Wednesday via a school release. He revealed in a viral video that Thomas was targeted by Sampson and UH before during his high school years.
He added how Thomas fortifies an annual strength at UH.
“Our point guard position has been the strength of our program. We have never not had a great point guard. Now, we slide to Dedan Thomas Jr., and we will just keep going,” Sampson said per the school.
He continued to glow about the new addition to the program.
“DJ is a point guard’s point guard. He can manage the game, and he understands the game at a freakishly high level. He is very smart and can get in the paint,” Sampson added.
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The longtime head coach included that Thomas presents a cerebral side to the floor.
“He plays off his imagination and is very savvy,” Sampson said. “All of our guards are going to benefit from having DJ because he is going to make them all better.”
Thomas first joined the Cougars on April 11. He first exploded into a college star with the Rebels, scoring 13.6 and 15.6 points per game in his first two seasons.
He took the leap of faith by joining LSU and testing the Southeastern Conference waters. Thomas left Baton Rouge by averaging 15.3 PPG for the Tigers. Now he’s first in line to replace the NBA-bound Flemings after an impactful freshman season.
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