He’s Not Too Good To Be True As A Player And A Person, Nic Star Gains Praise Without Reservations
Usually, there’s a but. So-and-so is a good basketball player, BUT he needs to work harder. So-and-so can score, BUT can’t play defense.
And so it is with North Idaho College sophomore Troy Thompson.
“He’s a talented player,” NIC coach Rolly Williams said. Then, the the obligatory. “But he’s a better person. He represents his team, his school and himself very well.”
Hey, we didn’t say the BUT always had to be bad.
Thompson, a 6-foot-4 forward averaging 18.4 points per game, scored 30 against Utah Valley last week, causing a logjam of recruiting calls on Williams’ telephone.
“You go into Utah Valley and knock down 30 against a very good team, you know, the phone starts ringing a little bit,” said Williams, whose 10-1 club has its Scenic West Athletic Conference home opener against Snow (2-0 SWAC, 10-2 overall) at 7:30 tonight at Christianson Gym.
Snow probably will get an eyeful of Thompson’s fluid athletic ability. Less noticeable, but certainly present, will be the influences of Thompson’s mom, dad, step brother, cousin, grandfather and grandmother.
The articulate Thompson admits he extracts certain characteristics from his relatives.
For instance, from his step brother, Marcus, spawned Thompson’s love of basketball. Thompson followed Marcus to the gym for city-league games and immediately took to the sport.
Thompson credits his parents for his athletic ability.
His cousin, Kingsley, brought out Thompson’s guard skills in high school, when he was solely an inside player.
His grandmother made religion part of Thompson’s life. He tries to read Bible passages every morning. His grandfather instilled Thompson’s academic direction.
“Everytime I call my grandfather, I’ll say, “I scored 25 points,’ and he’ll say, ‘That’s good, How you doin’ in school?”’ Thompson said.
At Gunderson High in San Jose, Calif., he carried a 3.0 grade-point average and appeared bound for UC Santa Barbara.
Then something weird happened. He didn’t pass the SAT. Twice.
“I’m one of those kids, and I still am, people go to a party, I’m at home hitting the books,” Thompson said. “It really frustrated me. The (SAT) results came in and it was, ‘This doesn’t match.”’
Thompson blamed the results, in part, on anxiety. “If it said anything but SAT, I know I would have passed,” he said, admitting to a heavy case of nerves.
Instead, he came to NIC, where he’s become one of the SWAC’s best players. He is on schedule to graduate in May.
“My grandmother always tells me, ‘Everything happens for a reason,”’ said Thompson, who is still drawing looks from Santa Barbara and also from Idaho. “It’s nice here, peaceful. It’s perfect for school and basketball. That’s all you can really do. That’s what you should do.”
It seems Thompson has no trouble deciphering what he should and shouldn’t have been doing. He said he’s never tried alcohol or been in trouble.
“I made a promise to my mother never to drink alcohol or do drugs. Believe me, it’s been offered. I just say no,” Thompson said. “Nobody believes me when I tell them that. But I’ve seen what happens to too many people close to me.
“Honesty is very important. If we’re playing cards and something happens that I can benefit from it, I would admit it and say, ‘This isn’t right.’ I’m a very loyal person.”
Loyal and honest, with the ability to finish on the break, shoot an occasional 3-pointer and post up. His quick-release shot lets him work in the paint against taller players.
Thompson had solid numbers as a freshman, but didn’t blossom until he made the Region 18 all-tournament team.
This season, he’s relied on more as a leader and scorer.
“He’s smooth. He’s got all the tools,” sophomore forward Eric Sanchez said. “As good a player as he is, he goes and works every day to get better.”
As a person and player.
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