Allen (Tx.) 2025 forward Deandre Thomas will follow Ross Hodge to West Virginia.
Thomas, 6-foot-7, 210-pounds, signed with North Texas in November after committing to the basketball program a month before that.
But after the coaching change in Denton, Thomas received his release from the Mean Green and committed to the Mountaineers Tuesday night.
Thomas averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game as a junior and followed that up by averaging 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a senior on a high-level Allen basketball team.
Thomas is the first high school prospect to commit to the Mountaineers under Hodge and it makes a lot of sense given the familiarity between the two.
That’s not a surprising development in the early portion of the off-season for Hodge as the first wave of additions are largely coming from players that he knows and already either has seen it in action or has cultivated plans on how they would fit into his system.
The transfer addition of transfer forward Brenen Lorient is a no-brainer given how effective he was last season under Hodge at North Texas, earning first-team all-American Athletic Conference honors, but it is telling on how he feels about the potential of Thomas by giving him the opportunity as well.
And that’s a sign of the potential that Hodge and the coaching staff sees in Thomas as he develops. It's also telling for Thomas that he has that type of trust in the coaching staff to get the best out of him at a place quite far from home.
Thomas is an athletic forward that can score in a variety of ways and is a willing passer as well. Coming from a strong high school program also will only be a benefit for Thomas making the transition to the Big 12.
The addition of Thomas is the third for the Mountaineers since Hodge took over the program joining Lorient and UNC Wilmington center Harlan Obioha.
The thing that each of those have in common is length and it’s clear that Hodge is looking to build a roster that has a nice mix of athleticism and versatility with an emphasis on the defensive end of the floor.
West Virginia is going to continue to add more pieces to round out the roster, but Thomas is an intriguing addition from what has almost become an unconventional source in today’s era from the high school ranks.
But with a full complement of eligibility remaining, Thomas is not only going to have opportunities to make his mark early depending on how the roster eventually shakes out but potentially well in the future as well.
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