GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota men's basketball Head Coach
Paul Sather announced the addition of forward Jayden Thomas on Tuesday.
Thomas comes to Grand Forks after spending two seasons at Lee College (NJCAA Division l) in Texas where he earned All-Region XIV Honorable Mention in 2025-26. Thomas will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"JT is a high flying, hard playing, two-way player that brings size, length and versatility to our team," said Sather. He was one of the most efficient offensive players in the country in both high school and junior college, making 62% of his field goals this past year while shooting 44% from behind the arc. JT has always been known as a defensive player as he can matchup with anyone on the court and fits our style of defense well. His aggressive nature combined with his athleticism will make him an immediate impact player on that side of the floor."
A native of Austin, Texas, Thomas averaged 9.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.0 assists and 0.7 blocks per game on 62.0% from the field and 44.2% from deep across 33 games and 27 starts this past season at Lee College. His 62.0 shot percentage ranked first in all of NJCAA Region XIV, shooting 116-for-187 from the field on the year.
The 6-foot-7 forward totaled 14 games in double figures, headlined by a season-high 18 points on Feb. 7 against Kilgore College in which he shot 7-of-8 from the field. He logged 13 games with at least five made field goals.
The bouncy southpaw grabbed 10 rebounds in three different games this past season, last doing it on March 7 in a win over Trinity Valley Community College. He also scored 11 points in that contest, good for his first double-double of the season.
Thomas snatched two or more steals in nine games and swatted two or more blocks in seven contests this season. He totaled four steals on Nov. 8 against Southwest Mississippi Community College and compiled three blocks twice, most recently on Feb. 4 at Angelina College.
In his freshman season, Thomas averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 55.0% from the field across 31 games. He scored 10 or more points 12 different times, including in six of the final seven games of the year.
Thomas connected on 19-of-43 (44.2%) three-point attempts in 2025-26, an increase of 10 from his freshman season when he made 9-of-32 (28.1%) attempts. This past year he made a triple in 17-of-33 games, connecting on two threes in two different contests, last done on March 14 at Trinity Valley Community College.
Prior to his sophomore season, Thomas was invited to participate at the JUCO All-American Showcase in Atlanta, joining his soon to be teammate, Daemon Ely from Angelina College. This showcase invites the top rising sophomores in junior college basketball.
Thomas went to high school at Lake Travis, where he averaged 13.3 points per game on 69% from the field in his 2023-24 senior season. Below is a full list of the current UND basketball roster for 2026-27.
2026-27 North Dakota Basketball Current Roster
| Name |
Position |
Year |
| Zach Kraft (returner) |
Guard |
Redshirt Junior |
| Karson Ouse (returner) |
Forward |
Sophomore |
| Josh Jones (returner) |
Center |
Senior |
| Zach Parks (transfer) |
Guard/Forward |
Sophomore |
| Luke Winkel (transfer) |
Guard |
Junior |
| Jadyen Thomas (transfer) |
Forward |
Junior |
| Tyler Wagner (transfer) |
Guard |
Sophomore |
| Daemon Ely (transfer) |
Forward/Center |
Junior |
| Jayden Moore (out of HS) |
Guard |
Freshman |
| Carter Evanson (out of HS) |
Guard |
Freshman |
| Sage Hanson (out of HS) |
Forward |
Freshman |
For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.
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