Twice would be nice: Lobos get commitment from another all-state forward from Dallas area

May 8—Taking a swing on an under-recruited, all-state athletic power forward from the Dallas area worked out pretty well for the UNM Lobos one year ago.

Why mess with a winning formula?

Daniel Thomas, a high-flying, 6-foot-8 senior forward at Dallas' Carter High School announced on Wednesday he has accepted a scholarship offer to play this coming season for Richard Pitino and the UNM Lobos.

"From the beginning (of the recruiting process) when I first started talking with Coach (Isaac) Chew and then when I got introduced to Coach Pitino, it was just welcoming and comfortable," Thomas told the Journal in a phone interview on Wednesday. "It was like a home environment."

Thomas visited Albuquerque this past weekend with his mother, Devada, sister and Darius Coleman, coach of the Lone Star Elite AAU team Coleman played for the second half of this past summer.

His commitment gives the Lobos 11 scholarship players and three walk-ons for the coming season. Pitino has said there is nothing set in stone for what he will do with the final two open scholarships, with patience being the guiding factor. The Lobos will continue to recruit as team dynamics around the country shift.

As for Thomas, it would be unfair to draw too much of a comparison to former Lobo forward JT Toppin, who this past season strung together one of the most impressive freshman seasons in UNM program and Mountain West Conference history before he declared for the NBA Draft.

But it's also impossible to ignore the similarities.

Toppin, who has announced he is transferring to another school if he doesn't stay in the draft, was a four-star recruit out of Dallas' Faith Family Christian School — the school that has beat Thomas' Carter High each of the past two seasons in the postseason.

The 6-9 Toppin, though ranked as a four-star recruit, was wildly under-recruited for a player of his potential in the heart of Big 12 country and from the moment he stepped foot on UNM's campus, Lobo coaches raved about his upside.

Thomas, like Toppin was a Class 4A All-State selection in Texas and was also overlooked by coaches at top NCAA schools. But as the transfer portal began to thin out, colleges began knocking on his door.

He said he drew heavy interest in recent weeks from Virginia, Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, Troy and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, to name a few.

And while Thomas says he has a different game than Toppin, he said he is very much aware of the path Toppin blazed while at UNM.

"As far as a personal thing, I'm not comparing myself to (Toppin) in any way," Thomas said. "But I look at it like the coach is not afraid to give somebody the opportunity. I know people will tell me that (some) coaches are only looking at portal guys and JUCO guys, basically older guys. (Pitino) gave JT the opportunity to showcase what he can do as a freshman. ...

"That doesn't mean I'm going to go in and complain about my minutes if I'm not playing. I'm going to go in, not overstep my boundaries, but I'm going to work hard and when they feel I'm ready, I'm glad it's a place where I know they'll play me."

What can Lobos fans expect from Thomas? He said his game would most resemble that of NBA forward Blake Griffin or Aaron Gordon, the Denver Nuggets star who is the younger brother of former Lobo great Drew Gordon.

"(Fans) can expect to see that I take pride in rebounding," Thomas said. "And, like you said, the bounce. I know I can get up, so a lot of dunks. I guess I'd say I play above the rim mostly, but personally what I'm looking forward to most is expanding my game. I want to play more wing and expand my shooting and ball handling."

Thomas plans to be in Albuquerque for the first summer session starting June 1.

As far as fit goes, we know this much: Mom's on board with what they're getting into.

In reply to one fan's congratulatory post on social media on Wednesday, Devada Thomas posted the following: "Got a loud Texas Mom here w/ a lil crazy as well. I'll fit right in."

Current 2024-25 Lobos roster

(As of May 8, listed alphabetical)

F Deraje Agbaosi, 6-7 (returning walk-on)

F Mustapha Amzil, 6-9 (returning)

G Braden Appelhans, 6-7 (returning)

F Filip Borovicanin, 6-9 (transfer from Arizona)

G Dylan Chavez, 6-5 (incoming freshman walk-on)

G Donovan Dent, 6-2 (returning)

G Kayde Dotson, 6-2 (incoming freshman)

G Shane Douma-Sanchez, 6-1 (returning walk-on)

C Nelly Junior Joseph, 6-10 (returning)

F Jovan Milicevic, 6-10 (incoming freshman)

G CJ Noland, 6-4 (transfer from North Texas)

F Daniel Thomas, 6-8 (incoming freshman)

G Tru Washington, 6-4 (returning)

G Quinton Webb, 6-6 (returning)

Schedule update ...

The Lobos on Wednesday made official their home-and-home series with Virginia Commonwealth, starting this coming season.

The series will include VCU playing in the Pit on Dec. 18 and the Lobos "returning" the game in the 2025-26 season at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, on a yet-to-be-determined date.

The two teams played once in 2008 in Cancun, Mexico — a 67-55 VCU victory. VCU played in the Pit, though not vs. the Lobos, in the 1985 NCAA Tournament.

The Rams were 24-14 last season and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals and are coached by Ryan Odom, who coached in the Mountain West with Utah State in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, joining the league the same offseason as Pitino being hired at UNM. He left for VCU last spring.

The Lobos have also announced a road game in Madison Square Garden against St. John's, coached by Pitino's dad, Rick Pitino, and they will participate in an MTE Tournament in November with a game against Arizona State and another against either USC or Saint Mary's.