Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year: Malcolm Thomas

National Hoops Report Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year
Malcolm Thomas, PF, Junior, San Diego State

When he was coming out of high school, he was only a two-star prospect.

A year later, Thomas was a dominant force at Pepperdine. As a freshman, the 6-9 big man averaged 12.5 points and a team high 8.8 rebounds and two blocks. After a difficult season in Malibu, he wanted to leave for greener pastures.

Thomas considered transferring to UCLA, Boston College, Arizona or UNLV after his stellar rookie season at Pepperdine. Instead, he went home to San Diego City College. While there, Thomas was amazing. He led his team in points (21.1), rebounds (12.9), blocks (3.8) and field‑goal percentage (60.6).

Big things are expected for Thomas and San Diego State this season. Rightfully so.

Thomas’s high school and Pepperdine teammate Tyrone Shelley could very well be the Player of the Year in the conference, too. Shelley is one of the best scorers in the country. He could be the top scorer in the conference this season.