UNLV fired head men’s basketball coach Kevin Kruger over the weekend and while the program begins its search for a replacement, one of its best players is headed to the transfer portal.
All-Mountain West third-teamer Dedan Thomas Jr. plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens, his father confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday.
Thomas, a sophomore, led the team in scoring (15.6 points per game) and assists (4.6 apg) as the Runnin’ Rebels finished 18-15 overall.
But just because Thomas is entering the portal, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Las Vegas native’s days at UNLV are over.
“It’s home, so I wouldn’t quite say the door is closed. We love UNLV. We love Kevin Kruger. It’s a big part of our lives,” Thomas Sr. told the Review-Journal. “I would think anybody at their home school with a relationship like he had with the coach would look elsewhere.”
Thomas came to UNLV as the 37th-ranked recruit in the class of 2023 and made an immediate impact, starting all 34 games for the Runnin’ Rebels last year. His 13.6 points and 5.2 assists per game were enough to give him co-Freshman of the Year honors in the Mountain West.
Thomas will have two years of eligibility remaining.
UNLV begins search for next men’s basketball coach
Kruger spent four seasons on the sidelines at UNLV, winning 21 games in 2024 and taking the Rebels to the NIT. But the expectations are high at UNLV, a program that won the 1990 National Championship and returned to the Final Four the next year.
“We have significant aspirations for our men’s basketball program, both within the Mountain West and on a national level, with the goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament,” athletic director Erick Harper said in a statement. “Our expectation is to contend for and win championships. After evaluating the program as a whole, I believe a change is necessary to achieve these goals.”
While the UNLV job may not be on the same level as many in power conferences, the name still carries some weight and the university can set its sights high for a new coach.
Florida associate head coach Carlin Hartman is a logical candidate having served under Kruger in 2021-22. If UNLV prefers instead to chase an established head coach, UC San Diego’s Eric Olen would make sense. In only their fifth year in Division I, the Tritons are already a top-40 KenPom team and are a trendy upset pick in the first round against 5 seed Michigan.
Fired Utah coach Craig Smith has already won in the Mountain West, taking Utah State to two NCAA Tournaments in three years in 2019 and 2021, and they would have made it in 2020 if March Madness had not been canceled. He would be worth a phone call as well.
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