At 5-foot-4, Asha Thomas is often the smallest player on the court.
Just as frequently, she’s the toughest one among the athletes towering over her.
“That’s been part of my growth, because I was thrown into the fire as soon as I got here. I had no choice but to come in with some grit and toughness,” the Cal junior guard said on her 21st birthday Wednesday. “With everything we’ve been through, I know I don’t want to go through that again. I have to bring even more energy, more toughness and more composure for my team.
“There has to be at least one person providing that when adversity hits, and I can do that for my team.”
Thomas has made a habit of infusing Cal with solidity since she made the short trip from East Oakland to Berkeley in 2015. She has been the team’s point guard from Day 1 and started the first 80 games of her career, playing through anything and everything until concussion protocol mandated that she miss a game this month at Arizona.
As has become the expectation of Thomas, she bounced right back and secured the Bears’ closely contested victory over Washington State on Sunday while boosting the team’s confidence before a daunting trip to the conference’s Los Angeles schools this week.
In a game that was not separated by more than six points and included 16 lead changes and 12 ties against Washington State, Thomas protected a two-point lead with a steal in the final seconds and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to close out the win.
She’s averaging 11.7 points per game, a continued season-by-season bump in her production; leads the Pac-12 at 86 percent free-throw shooting; and with 34 three-pointers, is on pace to break the school’s season record.
Things haven’t always been so hunky-dory. After winning three state titles at Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Thomas endured quite a jolt in going 4-14 and 6-12 in conference play during her first two seasons at Cal.
“I was not used to it. I wouldn’t say I was depressed because of the adversity, but I was shocked,” the contemplative media-studies major said. “My family could see it. I thought I would jump in, go along with the past success and eventually take it higher.
“But, I guess it was meant to be.”
Thomas’ family buoyed her through the dark days, which she said included questioning what she had done wrong to create the hardships.
A naturally observant person with a penchant for keeping her feelings to herself while exploring the world around her and being actively interested in the people she meets along the way, Thomas finally realized that the struggles were for the best.
At 13-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play this season, the Bears are in a four-way tie for third place in the Pac-12 and are ranked No. 21 in the nation.
“I needed to have my comfort zone shifted,” she said. “I definitely see it now.”
Thomas couldn’t recall (or didn’t want to share) an exact turning point, but chances are, it came during an interaction with her brother. Quentin, whom Bay Area basketball fans will remember for his brilliant career at Oakland Tech and for being part of Roy Williams’ first recruiting classes at North Carolina, is 11 years older, but he might as well be Asha’s twin.
They look, act and talk alike. And, their games have similar tinges of gravel and edge.
Even today, when he has given up hoops for a music career, having linked up with the Jamla label, 9th Wonder and Rapsody and is scheduled to begin an international tour in a couple of weeks, Quentin still regularly sends Asha links to dribbling techniques and workout ideas that might help.
She can remember going to his Oakland Athletic League games during a different time — an era when the players on the floor created lines out the doors and created frenzied environments inside the packed gyms. Then, she felt the electricity of the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill.
“That made me want that for myself,” Asha Thomas said. “I wanted to know the feeling of playing in a high-level basketball game. I thought about going across the country, but then, I thought: ‘Why not build that at home?’
“I was used to people leaving home and going somewhere else, because they thought they could get more attention. But, if you have great coaches, surround yourself with great teammates and play in the Pac-12, why not stay home? We can go across the country and play those teams, and we can beat those teams and bring the recognition back home. I want kids to realize that you can do that. It’s an option to stay home.”
Home is concretely important to Thomas. She consistently checked messages from her mother during an interview this week and eventually invited her mother to share birthday cupcakes and words of wisdom at the end of the conversation.
Thomas generally speaks slowly and quietly, expertly using pauses to build the anticipation for the upcoming line. When she finally delivers it, she often slips deeper into an East Oakland dialect that can stay discreet during other comments.
“I want to see people doing what they love and succeeding,” she said. “That’s me. I do what it takes for that.”
Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron
Friday’s game
Who: No. 21 Cal (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12) at No. 13 UCLA (13-4, 4-2)
When: 6 p.m. TV: P12BA