Marshall University Athletics
BOGACZYK: Thompson Finds More than Hoops with Herd
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By JACK BOGACZYK
HERDZONE.COM COLUMNIST
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - When he takes the floor this season for Marshall, Terrence Thompson will wear jersey No. 1.
Maybe he should have chosen No. 5.
That's not because Marshall is his fifth school in as many years, but because the last five games the 6-foot-7 Thompson played really paved his way to Division I basketball and the Herd.
Asked if Marshall were recruiting Thompson prior to the 2015 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Tournament, Herd assistant coach Mark Cline - he was in Hutchinson, Kan., bird-dogging the JUCO tourney -- was succinct:
"No," Cline said.
Coach Dan D'Antoni's program wasn't alone.
"Honestly, I didn't have one Division I offer until the JUCO tournament," Thompson said. "My play there really propelled me into a Division I prospect. After my first game, Southeast Louisiana offered me, and then from there, a bunch of mid-majors started to offer me."
Marshall was one of them, along with College of Charleston, Iona, Gardner-Webb, Eastern Illinois, Cleveland State, Illinois State, Texas Southern, and Charlotte - where Thompson had signed and then redshirted for the 2013-14 season before leaving the 49ers.
In those five days in the junior college tourney (March 17-21) as he helped Georgia Highlands College to a fourth place finish, Thompson - his team's sixth man - averaged 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds. Those were hikes from his season marks of 9.6 points and 8.9 boards.
It also helped the Herd's recruiting that Cline had the same contacts to Thompson that helped Marshall get North Carolina State graduate transfer guard Johnny Thomas - now with the Harlem Globetrotters - back in 2010.
Don't think for a minute that Thompson is one of those vagabond hoopheads just looking for the next place to play. The Durham, N.C., native is a biology major on the pre-med track, minoring in chemistry and considering a second minor in psychology.
He started his first semester at Marshall with a 3.55 grade point average.
Yes, he's been to five schools in five years. He graduated at Riverside High in Durham in 2012.
"I didn't have any official offers but I had a lot of interest from Division I schools, so I thought prep school would be a viable option for me, just more exposure," Thompson said.
So, he headed to Gray Military Academy in Columbia, S.C., for prep school. From there, he signed with the 49ers. But after a year of waiting to play, he left. It was during a period when former Charlotte Coach Alan Major was beginning to deal with medical issues that eventually brought his resignation.
"I just didn't think I'd fit in well in that program then," Thompson said. "And then the coaching staff kind of left anyway -- so I actually got kind of lucky - and I decided to transfer. I went JUCO for more exposure and then just tried to find the right fit."
He graduated from Georgia Highlands and because he never played for Charlotte, he joins the Herd program - one of eight scholarship newcomers who will put on a Marshall uniform for the first time - with three remaining seasons of eligibility.
"Terrence is a versatile kid, the kind of person we want in our program," said D'Antoni, whose second Herd team officially opens practice Thursday. "He's 6-7, 215, plays inside, a great rebounder, personable, the type of young man you want to represent the university, has a bright future whether it be in basketball, or, well, he's a pre-med major.
"Offensively, he's a slasher and can handle. We'll work on his shooting and bring it up, but he makes shots. You can't leave him alone. His strength is rebounding and slashing to the basket. He's an adequate shooter, but we can bring him up another level.
"He certainly can run the floor, quick, long, athletic, defensively fits in extremely well in pressing and moving the ball up the floor on transitions offensively and defensively."
Thompson, 21, brings a strong maturity to the Herd, too. He may be a sophomore on the floor, but he's on track to graduate with the spring semester in 2016-17. He could have taken the summer off after graduation at Georgia Highlands, but instead continued to take classes there during the early part of the summer to help get ahead. He took 12 summer hours between the junior college and Marshall.
Thompson's mother, Patricia, died at age 45 of pancreatic cancer. Terrence was 13 then. His father, Fred, is an associate division director for the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
"It's always tough to lose a family member like that," Thompson said of his mother's death. "But I had my dad - he did a great job -- family and friends. I was going into the ninth grade. You have great support like I did, you get through it."
Thompson said his "dad played a big part" in the players' decision to pick Marshall. "The coaching staff ââ'¬Â¦ My dad thought they'd have my back and look out for me."
He was impressed during his visit with Huntington's reputation for its hospitals, and Marshall's new Sports Medicine Institute is devoted to the side of the medical field he wants to pursue.
"Honestly, in high school, I wanted to be an engineer, because I was in an engineering program for all four years," Thompson said. "Then I decided to try and become a doctor my freshman year (at Charlotte). Nothing in particular changed my mind. I just took the basic science and math courses and that really steered me toward where I am now.
"Being a doctor is a lofty goal, but with hard work and dedication it is attainable. I'm not afraid to work."
His MU class schedule for his first semester with the Herd proves that. He's taking Biology 2, Physics 2, Psychology, Calculus and English Literature.
Remaining to graduate, Thompson will need 10 Biology classes (32 hours) and four Chemistry classes (14 hours), including three Organic Chemistry classes/labs. His academic plan includes 15-17 hours each semester.
How much time does he spend on academics?
"A lot, a whole lot, probably about a 2-to-1 ratio (to basketball)," Thompson said. "If I'm not doing classwork, I'm doing basketball. The toughest part combining the two ââ'¬Â¦ it's just time management. If you manage your time right, get your work done there, you can get your work done on the court as well."
With other names like Kelly, Browning, Elmore, Dozic, Burks, Browning and Penava who will make their Herd debuts in 2015-16, Thompson's academic minor will come in handy.
"I mean, we've got to build chemistry with one another, on and off the court," Thompson said when asked about fitting the new faces into D'Antoni's push-the-ball, spread-the-floor system. "I think we're doing a pretty good job of doing that so far.
"Definitely, I like the running system, being able to spread the floor. It's not one guy who has one position. Guys can play all five positions, and it's going to be to our benefit."
Thompson said he sees himself mostly as a 3, 4, or 5.
D'Antoni sees Thompson as "a guy who fits what we want."
Five days in Kansas took him to what he wanted.
