Sam Thomas did nothing but win early in her basketball career. She captured state championships all four years in high school—the last two locally at Centennial High after transferring in from Marian High in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan—and earned USA Today Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2016.

So after all that success, some eyebrows raised when Thomas committed to a then-bottom-rung collegiate team at the University of Arizona—a choice that only seemed stranger when the Wildcats continued struggling during Thomas’ freshman season.

Even Thomas began second-guessing her pick, Arizona coach Adia Barnes remembers. “She almost left as a freshman, because she had never lost so much,” Barnes recalled at a recent news conference. “We had won six games that year—[just] two games in the Pac-12—so I remember she was crying and miserable.”

Thomas says she never seriously considered transferring, though, because she believed in then first-year coach Barnes’ vision for the program. And as it turns out sticking around was a good move.

Thomas is now a bona fide legend at Arizona. She’s been a captain all five years at the school, and already ranks as the Wildcats’ all-time leader with 151 career starts. She’ll get a final sendoff for the program she helped build when Arizona opens NCAA Tournament play as a No. 4 seed against No. 13 seed UNLV on March 19 at 7 p.m. on its home floor. ESPN2 will televise the game.

The Wildcats were a point away from winning the national championship a year ago in their first-ever Final Four appearance, losing 54-53 to Stanford when a buzzer-beating shot attempt bounced off the back of the rim. Thomas said then she wasn’t sure if she would exercise her option to return to Arizona for a fifth year, but the reception the team received when it landed back in Tucson the next day helped make up her mind.

“We had a big parade, and everyone welcoming us, so it was hard to dwell on the loss,” Thomas tells the Weekly. “It was nice to have that support. I think it took about a week to realize, ‘OK, we enjoyed the moment, it was hard to lose,’ but [we know] what it takes to win a national championship. We were just focusing on getting better, getting back to work, and hopefully this year being able to finish the mission.”

Thomas has responded with arguably her best season. Long regarded as one of the best defensive players in the nation, she has now made her long-range shooting just as lethal, leading the Pac-12 Conference with a .429 3-point shooting percentage this season.

That sharp-shooting is more impressive when you consider that Thomas played in the post almost exclusively at Centennial, and even spent most of her first season at Arizona down low before Barnes began bulking up the program with more talent and put the 6-foot Thomas in a more fitting position to succeed.

What has stood out to Thomas during her final season? “Just doing things I haven’t done. Playing like it’s my last year, having no pressure on me,” she says. “Being able to go out there and have fun every single game.”

As notable as Thomas’ personal transformation has been, the Wildcats’ has been even more dramatic. Arizona hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2005 before Thomas arrived, and games were poorly attended.

But by the end of her sophomore season, the Wildcats had drawn a sellout, Pac-12 Conference record 14,644 fans to watch a win over Northwestern in the finals of the WNIT. Fans began consistently recognizing her, and she has started capitalizing on that notoriety.

Thomas launched her own clothing line this season after the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. Fashion has become a passion for Thomas, who completed an internship with Nike last summer and, Barnes says, could have remained with the apparel company in a full-time position had she not returned to Arizona.

After the NCAA Tournament, Thomas might be faced with other tough choice: go back to Nike or pursue a professional basketball career.

“If I could coach her my entire career, I would,” Barnes said. “She’s someone who could come back and be a good coach someday. She’s someone you trust because of her consistency and who she is. Her morals and values are good; she’s a good teammate. That’s why she’s been my captain the whole time.”

Thomas credited part of her leadership ability to growing up in an ultra-competitive and athletic family. Her grandfather, Emmitt Thomas, is an NFL Hall of Fame cornerback and a longtime assistant coach, while her father, Derek Thomas, once coached Division 1 men’s basketball at Western Illinois.

Thomas’ older sister Bailey won back-to-back Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year awards at UNLV before graduating, and younger sister Jade is still on the Rebels’ roster. Their youngest sibling, brother Shane, stood out at Durango High this year.

Sam building on her family’s legacy might have seemed unlikely six years ago, when she committed to what was then an afterthought of a women’s college basketball program, but that’s exactly what she’s done.

“Sam means so much to [Arizona],” Barnes said. “We would not be where we are today without Sam.”

Rooting interest: More local grads to follow

Taylor Bigby, Oregon The freshman guard out of Centennial High has averaged 2 points per game in her debut season with the Ducks.

First game: No. 5 seed Oregon plays No. 12 seed Belmont at 2:30 p.m. on March 19 on ESPN2.

Rae Burrell, Tennessee The senior post player out of Liberty High is rated 24th in the nation by ESPN after averaging 11.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season.

First game: No. 4 seed Tennessee plays No. 13 seed Buffalo at noon on March 19 on ABC.

Dre’una Edwards, Kentucky The junior forward out of Liberty High became a star by averaging 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season. She also hit one of the biggest shots of the year so far, a 3-pointer in the final seconds that allowed Kentucky to upset top-ranked South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship game.

First game: No. 6 seed Kentucky plays No. 11 seed Princeton at 1 p.m. on March 19 on ESPN.

Daejah Phillips, Hawaii The freshman guard out of Centennial has quickly become a fixture in Hawaii’s backcourt, averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

First game: No. 15 seed Hawaii plays No. 2 seed Baylor at 1 p.m. on March 18 on ESPN2. –Ray Brewer

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