Rebels’ Thomas staying put, hoping to go places

At one point, the thought of attending medical school crossed Quintrell Thomas' mind. But then he quickly crossed the idea off his list.

"It would be unrealistic to be a doctor and go through all those classes," he said. "On top of that, I'm not from a rich family, so I don't want to be buried in student loans."

He does have options, by virtue of the day in May when he earned a degree in communications from UNLV. It was a day Thomas long ago never expected to see.

While growing up in New York and New Jersey, he surveyed his surroundings and considered reaching the level of higher education a far-fetched dream.

"I never thought I would get to college in the first place," he said. "If you could see some of the schools that I've seen growing up, the teachers literally sit back and they give up because the students just don't pay attention. You don't necessarily accept the fact, but you know it's probably not going to happen.

"But basketball gave me that opportunity. I definitely wanted to get my degree. I'm the first one in my family to get a college degree, so it's a big accomplishment for me."

Thomas aspires to be a medical sales rep, after playing pro ball somewhere. He has options, and the first one he chose was to return for one more season with the Rebels as a redshirt senior. After graduation, he could have transferred to another Division I school to play immediately, and likely play more.

UNLV coach Dave Rice met with Thomas over the summer to help with the decision.

"He did have the opportunity to utilize the rule where he could go and play someplace for a year," Rice said. "But I said, 'I don't want you to do that. I want you to stay here, because I think you can be a big part of what we do this season."

Thomas' reply: "I don't want to go anywhere. I want to be a part of this and have a good senior year."

Thomas' career has not been what he hoped. The 6-foot-8-inch power forward left Kansas after appearing in 26 games and starting once as a freshman. Knowing his playing time for the Jayhawks would be limited, he transferred to UNLV in 2009 and planned to be a dominant big man in the Mountain West Conference.

As a redshirt sophomore, he started 26 of 33 games and averaged 6.7 points for the Rebels and former coach Lon Kruger. In Rice's first season, Thomas played in 33 games with no starts, his playing time declined by almost four minutes per game and his scoring average dipped to 4.4.

"I could have transferred and went to some school, played against a bunch of bums and done really well, but maybe not be as prepared coming out of college," Thomas said. "I decided to come back and fight for it and just see what happens."

Thomas said he has been "fighting for an opportunity" his entire career, and that won't change in his final year. The Rebels' front line is deeper than it has been in several years, with the addition of 6-8 freshman Anthony Bennett and 6-9 sophomore Khem Birch, both former McDonald's All-Americans. Carlos Lopez-Sosa, a 6-11 junior, returns with Thomas.

Rice said Thomas, a strong low-post defender, will be especially counted on early in the season. Birch, a transfer from Pittsburgh, becomes eligible for the Dec. 17 game at Texas-El Paso.

"Right now, we've got four big guys for two spots, and we'll need all of them," Rice said. "Quintrell has played extremely well. He's lost 15 pounds and he's in the best shape that he's been in since I've been here. He's made a great commitment in the weight room and in conditioning, and he has stood out in practice in terms of his improvement."

Thomas has enjoyed a handful of big games at UNLV - 19 points and 13 rebounds in a win at New Mexico in 2011 and 13 points in a victory over Illinois last season, for example - but he also has endured long stretches on the bench.

"His attitude never wavers," senior guard Anthony Marshall said. "Q always has a positive attitude, and anything to help the team win, he's all for it."

Thomas knows what he's up against in Bennett, Birch and Lopez-Sosa, yet he chose the option of fighting for playing time on the nation's 18th-ranked team.

"On every team, and especially a team this talented, everybody is going to feel like they should play a lot. So everybody is just going to have to accept their role, whether they like it or not, and not take the team down with them," said Thomas, who is taking four classes this semester.

"Of course, it hasn't been exactly what I want it to be, but I got my degree and I'll have an opportunity to go play after this. My career hasn't been good, but there's always tomorrow. Things can always get better."

■ NOTES - Rice said sophomore guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, sidelined since early October with two broken bones in his left hand, is "way ahead of schedule" in his recovery. Dejean-Jones is expected to get his cast removed today and could return to practice by Monday. The Rebels play at UCLA in a closed scrimmage Saturday.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.