Quintrell Thomas will transfer to UNLV

By J-W Staff Reports, KUSports.com,  Friday, May 22, 2009

It's official: former Kansas forward Quintrell Thomas now has a new home.

Former Kansas men’s basketball player Quintrell Thomas has decided to transfer to UNLV.

Thomas, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward out of Newark, N.J., chose the Rebels on Friday over St. Joseph’s and Siena.

“I just thought about how good we would be once I started playing,” Thomas told The Las Vegas Sun. “It’s one of the primary entertainment places in the country. We start winning, we could turn Vegas upside down.”

Thomas averaged 1.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 26 games for the Jayhawks last season. He played just 5.4 minutes per game.

On April 9, Thomas announced his intentions to transfer away from KU, saying he’d like to give himself the opportunity to receive more playing time. KU guard Tyrone Appleton also announced he was planning to transfer on the same day.

Thomas also considered UNLV when he was in high school.

“My mother loves the situation,” Thomas told The Las Vegas Sun. “I liked the coaching staff before I made my decision to go to Kansas. It was between them and Kansas at first.”

UNLV finished 21-11 last season and received an NIT bid.

Because of transfer rules, Thomas will not be eligible to play for the Rebels until the 2010-11 season