UNLV guard named Mountain West co-freshman of the year

By Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

8 months ago

UNLV Rebels guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (11) reacts after drawing a foul from the San Jose State Spa ... — UNLV Rebels guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (11) reacts after drawing a foul from the San Jose State Spartans during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

UNLV freshman point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. was named Mountain West co-freshman of the year and earned second-team All-Mountain West honors Tuesday.

Thomas shared freshman of the year honors with New Mexico’s JT Toppin after voting by the conference’s coaches. Thomas, a Liberty graduate, led UNLV in scoring by averaging 13.6 points per game. He was sixth in the Mountain West in assists per game with 5.2.

Fifth-year forward Keylan Boone joined Thomas on the All-Mountain West second team.

Fifth-year guard Luis Rodriguez was named to the All-Mountain West defensive team. Fifth-year forward Kalib Boone was an All-Mountain West honorable mention.

UNLV (19-11), the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, plays No. 5 San Diego State at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.