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2021-22 Women's Basketball Roster

Mike Christy - Arizona Athletics
Isaiah Willhoite / Arizona Athletics
Simon Asher / Arizona Athletics
Mike Mattina / Arizona Athletics
Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Simon Asher / Arizona Athletics
Mike Mattina / Arizona Athletics
Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics

14 Sam Thomas

  • Position Forward
  • Height 6-0
  • Class Senior
  • High School Centennial High School
  • Hometown Las Vegas, Nev.

Biography



2021 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

2021 and 2022 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American
2022 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup

Elite 90 Award Winner
2021 All-Pac-12
2020 and 2012 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
2020, 2021 & 2022 Pac-12 All-Defense
2020 & 2021 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll
2019 and 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team
2019 Pac-12 All-Academic First Team
2018 Pac-12 All-Freshman
2018 Arizona Athletics Female Freshman of the Year


FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR (2021-22): First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American… Became first player in program history to repeat as a CoSIDA Academic All-American… All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention… Member of Pac-12’s All-Defensive Team for a third consecutive season… Naismith Award Watch List member… Senior CLASS Award Candidate… Coach Wooden Citizen Cup Award recipient… CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District… Finished her career with 5,125 minutes played in 154 games played, which ranks first all-time in program history… Also capped her career with a top-10 career ranking in program history in scoring, made three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage, blocks and steals… Finished the season as one of only two players in conference to rank in the top 15 in steals and blocks… Scored season-high 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting in win over Utah… Best rebounding game of the year was nine in win at Oregon State… Scored in double figures in 10 games.

SENIOR (2020-21)
Started every game this season … The 2021 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won the Elite 90 Award for the best GPA of any student-athlete at the Final Four … Was named All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defense … Second on the team and in the Pac-12 in steals per game (2.3) … Led the team in blocks per game (1.2) … After missing her first 10 threes of the season, shot 43% from deep … Shot 83% from the free throw line … Made a career-high six three-pointers vs. Washington, the second-most threes in a single game in Arizona history.


JUNIOR (2019-20)
Was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 ... Was named Pac-12 All-Defense ... Made the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll ... Started all 31 games ... Led the team with 47 blocks and was second in the Pac-12 with 1.5 blocks per game ... Finished third on the team in points per game (9.5) ... Had 53 steals, the second most on the team ... Was tied for the team lead with 42 made three-pointers on 38% shooting ... Was the only player in the Pac-12 with 40 blocks and steals ... Averaged 1.94 blocks per game in Pac-12 play, the most of any player in the conference ... Finished sixth in the Pac-12 in steals per game (1.7) ... Scored a career-high 31 points in a road win at Utah (Feb. 21) with Aari McDonald out ... Became the only player in Arizona history to have six blocks and four steals in one game (vs. Washington, Feb. 14) ... Is the second player in school history (Aari McDonald) to make at least 13 free throws in a game while shooting 100% from the line (at Utah) ... Became the only player in school history with 100 made three-pointers and blocked shots ... Had 15 double-figure scoring efforts ... Had eight games with at least three blocked shots and eight with at least three steals ... Scored 20 points on 4-5 shooting (4-4 from three and 8-10 from the line) in a home win over UCLA (Jan. 31) ... Averaged 10.2 points per game in Pac-12 play.

SOPHOMORE (2018-19)
Played and started in all 37 games, the most by an Arizona Wildcat along with Aari McDonald and Cate Reese ... Is the first sophomore along with Aari McDonald to start more than 33 games in a season ... Logged 1,265 minutes, the second most in one season in school history ... Scored in double-figures 15 times ... Became the sixth player in school history to block 50 shots in one season ... Led the team in blocks and was second in steals with 60 ... Was the only player in the Pac-12 to average at least 1.4 blocks and steals per game ... Had nine games with three or more steals ... Finished the game with a career-high six steals against Idaho in the WNIT (3/28) ... Was Arizona’s third-leading scorer at 9.1 points per game ... Made 52 three-pointers, the second-most on the team ... Had just 29 turnovers in 34.2 minutes per game ... Was named Pac-12 All-Academic First Team ... Was named CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.


FRESHMAN (2017-18)
Played and started in all 30 games as a freshman ... Was named Pac-12 All-Freshman by the coaches and media ... Scored the 10th-most points in Arizona history for a freshman (306) ... Had the fourth-most rebounds in Arizona history for a freshman (209) ... Is the fifth freshman in Arizona history to average seven rebounds per game ... Played the most minutes in Arizona history for a freshman (1,088 ... Played the fifth-most minutes in Arizona history in one season ... Led all freshman in the Pac-12 in rebounding, steals, blocks and minutes ... Was second among freshman in scoring ... Was the only player in the Pac-12 to be in the top-10 in rebounding, steals and blocks ... Led the team in field goal percentage (42%), rebounding (7.0), blocks (1.3), steals (1.5) and minutes (36.3) ... Was second in assists (1.4), points (10.2) and three-point percentage (37%) ... Had three double-doubles, which is the most for a freshman since Erica Barnes (2011) ... Became Arizona’s first freshman to score 20 points in a game since Taryn Griffey (2015) ... Scored 20+ points twice ...  Led the team with six double-figure rebounding games ... Played 49 minutes against Southern Utah (12/20), which is the 3rd-most in school history ... Had 15 rebounds against Southern Utah (12/20), becoming the first Wildcat to have 15 rebounds since LaBrittney Jones had 15 on Dec. 15, 2013 ... Is the third freshman in school history to start 30 games and first since Davellyn Whyte ... Is the first player since Ify Ibekwe (2011) to lead the team in FG% while taking over 260 shots ... 209 rebounds is the most in one season since Davellyn Whyte in 2012 ... 46 steals is the most since Davellyn Whyte in 2013.

HIGH SCHOOL
Thomas waas the highest rated recruit in Arizona’s 2017 class as ESPN.com rated her as a four-star wing. She is ranked as the 95th-best player in the country and the 18th-best wing nationally. Thomas was also the highest rated player out of the state of Nevada. She played her high school ball for Centennial High School in Las Vegas where she was named the USA Today Player of the Year in 2016. In her previous two seasons, she was named to the Michigan Class A All-State First Team in 2015 and was named to the second team in 2014. During her junior season, Thomas averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game as she led Centennial to a 33-1 record and a Division I State Championship.

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 14

    2017-18Freshman

    Forward
    6'0"
    14
  • 14

    2018-19Sophomore

    Forward
    6'0"
    14
  • 14

    2019-20Junior

    Forward
    6'0"
    14
  • 14

    2020-21Senior

    Forward
    6'0"
    14
  • 14

    2021-22Senior

    Forward
    6'0"
    14
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