Sam Thomas has had many memories during her five seasons in Arizona, but one memory is definite for her current situation as she was aiming for a spot on the roster with the Phoenix Mercury at training camp.
During Thomas’ first year, Diana Torassi came to watch an Arizona game to support her former Yukon teammate and Arizona assistant coach Morgan Valley.
“I attended one of our matches and sat on the field and was so amazed. Who knew five years from now I would be on her team,” Thomas said. It’s crazy how life goes
Thomas received the basketball equivalent of a glowing letter of recommendation when Taurasi strongly believed in signing an Arizona producer to a training camp contract.
“Diana is the smartest basketball player I know. She can see things that I definitely can’t. She’s a huge fan of the game, and she’s constantly following it up.” Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said she’s known Sam and she’s right.
Thomas, the five-year Arizona captain, jumped to Nygaard for her leadership qualities among many praises from Arizona coach Adia Barnes. Barnes and Nygaard have a past relationship that goes back to their high school days and they play against each other.
But a player like Thomas has flown under the radar. Thomas devoted most of her time to academics and wanted to go as far as she could in education and benefited from her eligibility for the fifth year to work on her master’s degree. Thomas received the highest honors from the Pac-12 when she was named Sports Researcher of the Year at the conference in 2021.
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The shift in her plans to continue her career came only during young Thomas. Thomas started watching basketball differently than when she was younger and the relationship grew deeper.
“Once I got invited to boot camp and being a senior and (my college career) was over, I was like, ‘I don’t want to stop playing basketball. After getting this I thought this could be a serious career choice for me and I loved every second of it. Here, Thomas said, “I definitely want to stay as long as possible and continue my basketball career.”
Thomas spent her high school years rooted in a winning culture at Centennial High School in Las Vegas where she was named USA Today’s Player of the Year in 2016. Her first season in Arizona in 2017-18 wasn’t the same deal. The Wildcats went 2-16 in the Pac-12 and finished second in the conference. As different as an adjustment as it was for Thomas, it shaped her views of basketball and separated them from winning her identity.
“Coming into my freshman year and not winning much, I was like, ‘Do I really want to focus on winnings and losses for the rest of my life?'” Thomas said. “I think through college I developed more and gained more confidence and developed more experience through basketball. It’s not just about winning and losing, it’s about meeting lifelong friends, getting smarter, and meeting a lot of people. It really takes everything a ball has. The basket is with her and she uses it.”
Thomas averaged 8.97 points with 4.09 rebounds over five seasons, while adding 266 career passes and 264 possessions.
Losing days faded early in her career in Arizona as Thomas became one of the veterans who captained Arizona to the National Championship in 2021. Thomas played the team in the rebound with seven and 37 minutes in a 54-53 loss to Stanford. .
“She’s very stooped. She plays consistently hard, but without rebounds and bottoms. That impresses me from a young player. She’s a fantastic three-pointer, and I think that’s a huge advantage. She really does have a very deep knowledge of defensive concepts,” said Nygaard. “Her foundation is really strong and seems resilient no matter what happens, she keeps pushing.”
In her first professional experience, Thomas added more to both ends of her game with the help of veterans. Year 4 garrison Sophie Cunningham encouraged Thomas and other novices throughout the camp, often assisting in offensive scenarios.
Thomas was known for playing a deep defensive game, but training camp gave her the toughest job of her career with Taurasi. Instead of either of them sitting in the front row, they can finally see how their games match up.
“She’s such a wonderful person and I really respect and appreciate her opinion. Just knowing that she says great things about me, I’m really grateful for that. She’s helped me a lot… She’s really settled in with everyone and you can tell me she has this confidence about her and everyone wants to follow her,” said Thomas. “.
Notes
Mercury guard Shea Bedi returned to training camp on Friday after playing abroad in Turkey. Bedi appeared in 32 games for Mercury last season and had a career average of 5.4 points. Bedi signed a training camp contract in January.
Mercury will play its first pre-season game on April 28 at the Footprint Center against the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. It will also be the first shoe campaign for BG’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive, a charity started by Brittney Griner in partnership with the Phoenix Rescue Mission.
Reach the reporter in jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter Tweet embed.