Race Thompson, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Robbinsdale (MN) Armstrong, is one of the top big men in the Midwest in the Class of 2018 and is considered the number three prospect from Minnesota in the class. Thompson received a scholarship offer from Minnesota last year.
Thompson averaged 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this season for the Falcons, who finished 18-9, losing to crosstown rival Robbinsdale Copper 82-74 in the first round of the Section 6AAAA playoffs. He scored in double figures in all 27 games, including a season-best 36 points versus Totino-Grace and has had twelve more other games of 20 or more points and another contest of more than 30 points, scoring 33 in the playoff loss to Cooper.
Gopher Hole caught up with Thompson recently at the Minnesota Gopher team camp to talk about the latest on his recruitment and his AAU season.
Gopher Hole: You recently made some visits to some schools. What schools did you get a chance to see?
Race Thompson: I visited Michigan and Indiana.
Gopher Hole: Michigan just offered you and Indiana had offered you like a month or so ago. What did you get a chance to learn?
Race Thompson: I just got to know the schools a lot better. Michigan, of course, is a prestigious school. Academics. Really good at basketball. Great coach. Developing players that are just like me. Indiana. Same thing. Good school. Great campus. Some of the best culture in college basketball. One of the best stadiums. Great vibes when they play the games. Just a new coaching staff that is also coming from Dayton, so a good coaching staff there, so that was definitely good.
Gopher Hole: Does that make it seem more real when you go visit these schools? Obviously, you can talk to them on the phone all you want, but does it make it seem real when you get to meet the coaches in person and check out the campuses?
Race Thompson: Yes, definitely. Just talking on the phone, you try to think about what they are talking about, but when they can really show you what the play style is, in front of you and explain to you instead of just telling you what it is over the phone and also the campus and the academics and really talking to other people other than coaches. That is pretty much the best thing about visits is getting a feel for the school and seeing if I could really see myself there and succeed there.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
Race Thompson: Thirteen. (Nebraska, Iowa State, Baylor, Minnesota, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona State, Marquette, Northwestern, Creighton and Kansas State)
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the ones that have offered you? .
Race Thompson: Michigan State, a little bit. That is really the only new school really. I am just trying to slow it down a little bit, see what happens in July. If I see a school that I am interested in, then, of course, I will let that in. If I hear from schools that I don’t see myself at, right away, I’ll tell them, because the recruiting process is stressful, so I am just trying to narrow it down.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought when you might try to narrow it down to ten or five schools yet or have you thought that far?
Race Thompson: I’m going to narrow it down right after AAU season. Probably within a week or two after AAU, I’ll try to narrow it down, so I can make my decision and just be happy with the choice I make and be done, stress-free.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to try to sign then in the fall or have you thought that far yet?
Race Thompson: I’ll probably visit the schools and I’ll probably decide then.
Gopher Hole: I know that I have asked you this before, but what are going to be the main factors that make you pick School A over School B or C?
Race Thompson: Just play style. Coaching staff. I want it to feel like a family. I don’t want to get to a school where it’s not a brotherhood in the locker room or on the floor. I want to get along and I want everybody to get along. Everybody hangs out off the court and good vibes all around.
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Gopher Hole: How about your AAU season? You guys are playing pretty well. How pleased are you with how well you guys are playing? .
Race Thompson: I’m happy, but I’m not satisfied. We lost three games in the Gauntlet. It is tough, though, because we didn’t have Matthew Hurt. People will say that we did good without Matthew, but I would still say that even though Matthew is one of the top players in the country in 2019, we should have went 8-0 in the Gauntlet. There is no excuse that we really didn’t.
Gopher Hole: Is it a little bit of a motivating factor to play even better the rest of the year. Obviously, you want to play well in the rest of the tournaments that you have in July?
Race Thompson: It is definitely motivation because we want to win in Spartansburg. We want to win in Vegas and we want to win our own tournament, so our goal is to not lose any games and that should be everybody’s goal and I am pretty sure that is what everybody is thinking, Everybody’s mindset going into these games.
Gopher Hole: You are playing here at the team camp. Last year, unfortunately, you got knocked out earlier than you expected, losing to your big rival. What have you seen from your team this year through the summer and through this event that makes you think that you are going to get a little farther this upcoming season and maybe get to the state tournament?
Race Thompson: Everybody knows their role. We got a good point guard. Good wings. I don’t know if we have any Division I players, but everybody wants to win. Wanting to win is like a main thing. Coming to practice every day, working hard. We got two kids who just non-stop rebound the ball. They don’t care if they score. They just want to win the game, so they will do whatever it takes to win, so that is the best. It is really fun playing with them.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to get to the state tournament as a senior?
Race Thompson: A lot. It would be the best feeling, but we are taking it practice by practice, game by game and that will be the end of it. Wherever we end up, I’ll be sad at the end of it, no matter what.
Gopher Hole: In three more months, you are going to be a senior. Is that kind of weird?
Race Thompson: Yes, definitely. High school went real fast. It is actually crazy looking back on my freshman year, playing against all those older guys who are in college now, even my brother. I played with my brother pretty much my whole life and now he has gone to college and that is almost like uncomfortable, but at the same time. It is good.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, you are at the Gopher camp. They were one of the first schools to offer you. What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Race Thompson: I know that I am a priority for the Gophers, so I am definitely going to try to take another visit here after AAU season. It is pretty much like the same message everywhere. I’ll fit the playing style perfectly good. I would be able to play my game. Take the ball to the court. Pass. Shoot. Shoot threes and not just stuck in the post.
Gopher Hole: Daniel Oturu committed here. I know that he said that he is going to work on you and some of the other Minnesota kids to join him. What does he say to you?
Race Thompson: We were together at the Top 100 Camp, so I hung out with him a lot there. I wouldn’t say that he pushed me to go to Minnesota, because he knows the process. He knows what it is like. He is probably going to help me make my best decision. He is not just going to tell me to go to the “U” because he wants to play with me. He is going to be honest with me and take the process. He took it slow. He committed early, but he did take it slow. Definitely fun hanging out with Daniel and him just recruiting me a little bit. .
Gopher Hole: What was the Top 100 Camp experience like? Obviously, you are playing against some of the top players in the country, what was that experience like?
Race Thompson: It was a lot of fun. Getting to know all the past pros. I had a current coach. My coach was Rajon Rondo, so it was cool meeting him. Knowing what the NBA is like. The next level and you learn a lot. There are a lot of things that you just learn there. Even the games, playing against the top competition, I wouldn’t say was the best part about it. I would say learning all the things about the past players and the coaches was the best part about it.
Gopher Hole: What is it like playing against those best players? Does that really show you, as good as you are, that there are always things you can work on to improve yourself as a player?
Race Thompson: It definitely did. I am seeing players that have the same amount of offers as me or even more offers than me, high major offers than me, so it is definitely motivation for me going there. Just want to take my game to next level.