Day Day Thomas is getting his first crack at NBA Summer League action, and he’ll do it in familiar company.
The former Cincinnati guard is set to debut tonight for the Boston Celtics, joining former Bearcats teammate Dillon Mitchell, who was selected No. 40 in the second round of the NBA Draft. Thomas will also share the floor with Hugo Gonzales, Amari Williams, Chris Cenac Jr., John Tonje, Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, Curtis Jones, and Caleb Grill, among others.
Boston opens Summer League against the Toronto Raptors, and Thomas will see two more familiar faces on the other side. He’ll line up against Aziz Bandago, who played with him from 2023-25, and Jalen Celestine, who was with Cincinnati from 2025-26.
Thomas leaves Cincinnati as one of the defining players of the Wes Miller era. He spent all three of his college seasons with the Bearcats during their first three years in the Big 12, helping steady the program through its move into the Power 4.
Over 100 career games at Cincinnati, Thomas posted 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 39% from the field, 35.3% from 3-point range and 82.9% at the free-throw line. His production climbed almost every year, and by his final season he was averaging nearly 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal while shooting 38.3% from deep.
That steady upward trend is part of why he’s getting this opportunity now. Thomas showed he could adjust year after year at Cincinnati, and NBA teams are giving him a chance to keep proving it.
After tonight’s 9:00 p.m. matchup with Toronto on ESPN, the Celtics continue Summer League play against the Charlotte Hornets on July 12, the Atlanta Hawks on July 13 and the Sacramento Kings on July 15. Those games will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or Prime Video.
In Other News...
Jerrod Calhoun Just Got A Crucial Early Test With Cincinnati
Jerrod Calhouns first season guiding Cincinnati is going to get an early measuring stick in a setting that should tell him plenty about his new group. The Bearcats are set for a six-day trip to Nassau, Bahamas, in early August for the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, where the program will get extra time on the floor before the real games start to count.
Cincinnati is scheduled to face the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria in two exhibition games, with the trip also opening the door to as many as 10 additional practices. For a new staff trying to establish habits and build chemistry, that kind of head start can matter, and this overseas swing will offer an early look at how quickly the Bearcats are taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Veteran Opens Up About Fixing Last Seasons Collapse
After a promising start turned into a painful finish last fall, Cincinnati spent the offseason looking hard at what went wrong and how to keep it from happening again. Center Taran Tyo said the Bearcats have shifted away from broad, season-long ambitions and toward a weekly goal-setting approach, with the Bearcat Council and leadership council helping build the plan.
For a program trying to steady itself after a late collapse, the details matter as much as the message. Cincinnati also knows the margin for error will be thin in the Big 12, with Texas Tech, BYU and Utah on the schedule next season, so the hope is that a more focused routine can help the Bearcats avoid another stretch where one bad run changes everything. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bearcat Connor Barwin Earns Special Hall Of Fame Honor
A familiar Bearcats name is headed back into the spotlight. Conor Barwin, who played at Cincinnati from 2005 to 2008, has been announced as part of the 50th class of the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame, a fitting nod to a college career that took off when he made the move from tight end to defensive end as a senior.
Barwins final season in Clifton turned him into one of the Big Easts top defenders and set up a long NFL run after Houston took him in the 2009 draft. He went on to spend 10 seasons in the league and reached a Pro Bowl level with the Eagles in 2014, but for Cincinnati fans, the Hall of Fame honor also brings back memories of how quickly his Bearcats career changed once he found his right position. [Read more 🡒]