WVU freshman forward D.J. Thomas (left)

MORGANTOWN — As it turns out, Honor Huff’s eight 3-pointers may not have been his biggest contribution of the night in leading the WVU men’s basketball team to an 81-59 victory against Lafayette.

Rather it might have been as he was leaving the postgame press conference, walking behind teammate D.J. Thomas and turning to the media scrum.

“You all got D.J. to say more words than he ever does,” Huff joked. “I appreciate that.”

It was some insight into WVU’s emerging freshman forward, a mountain of a man at 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds wrapped up in what is still a teenaged college hoops player.

A simple glance in Thomas’ direction likely wouldn’t lead one to believe he is just a college freshman still feeling his way around with a humbled and quiet soul.

He is a young man who knows about success. At Allen (Texas) High School last season, Thomas led the Eagles to a national ranking, a 26-game winning streak and a shot at a national prep championship, before falling to Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran in the finals.

Apparently that success has not gone to Thomas’ head. He is not outspoken and cocky. Rather, as Huff mentioned, Thomas rarely says anything at all and simply goes about his business.

“He has such an even-keeled personality,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said of Thomas. “His mom is such an awesome lady. She’s a military veteran and has a great presence in his life. He really is an even-keeled person.”

Lafayette may disagree after Thomas dominated the paint with 25 points. He made an impact against Pitt, too, and showed off his versatility with two 3-pointers and 10 points against the Panthers.

Through his first five college games, Thomas is third at WVU in scoring at 11 points per game and is shooting 56% from the field.

“I think the way we practiced during the summer and the preseason, that really got us ready,” Thomas said of his early success. “That was the biggest thing for me.”

He may be facing his biggest challenge yet, when the Mountaineers (5-0) travel to Charleston, S.C. to face Clemson on Friday. The Tigers (4-1) are in the top 60 in the country, averaging nearly 43 rebounds per game, while forwards Carter Welling (6-10, 225) and R.J. Godfrey (6-8, 235) will be able to matchup with Thomas physically.

Hodge has had a relationship for a while with his big man. Thomas originally signed to play at North Texas, but when Hodge was hired at WVU, Thomas was released from his letter-of-intent and then resigned with the Mountaineers.

And he’s made an immediate impact on his teammates.

“Stud,” WVU center Harlan Obioha said about Thomas. “He’s an absolute stud.”

Thomas’ 25 points against Lafayette were the most by a WVU freshman since Emmitt Matthews Jr. scored 28 against Texas Tech in the 2019 Big 12 tournament.

“His future is beyond the roof,” Huff said. “Just his confidence at a young age coming in and- and being able to be thrown in the fire and execute. I think that’s the biggest thing, just his mindset and like I said, his ability to execute when we need him to and not be flustered, especially with an environment like this. So, to be able to come in and do what he did in this environment, man, hats off to him. I mean, he played his tail off.”

Just don’t expect that freshman shell to come off Thomas’ personality. Not yet. Hodge is quick to note Thomas is still growing as a defender and still learning about consistency.

“I wouldn’t anticipate this game changing him at all,” Hodge said.