We finally have a center who can score again!

[dasher]

Yes, but McCullough was much more heralded as a recruit. That makes a difference.

Funny, I said the same exact thing when someone told me about the comparison between McCullough and Thompson.

 

[tbonezone]

Chris mac started 16 games before his injury. we'll do a side by side after Pitt.

 

[RF2044]

i remember LO-MO rooming with marvingraves but i thought he played db ?
that said moten was a baseline slasher/assassin extraordinaire .

They roomed together because they were high school teammates / friends from Archbishop Carroll HS. Played football /hoops together in HS.

 

[orangehomer]

Taurean Thompson is really developing at a rapid rate. He tried to do a little too much tonight against Cornell, but there can be little doubt that he is going to be a very good player a lot sooner than everyone expected. He's mobile and he's smooth. He's got a good handle for a guy that big.

This is going to sound ridiculous to some (most) of you, but back at the beginning of the season, I said to myself, "You know who this guy looks like out there? Preston Shumpert." I kid you not. I felt that way in several of his early games. It's how smooth he is out there, how he glides to find the open space on the floor. He and Lydon were really working that high-low well, too.

He's got a pretty sweet stroke, too. I'm not saying he's a three point shooter like Shump, or that I want the kid's head to get too big, but he moves really well and is really skilled for a big guy. He's shown more so far than Chris McCullough ever did.

he's a nice post player, I think a stretch 4. but he is not a center, not in the ACC. i'm pretty bullish on Thompson, but McCullough was a better talent. he blew his knee out remember?

 

[STEVEHOLT]

I dont understand how someone 6'10 inches, agile, mobile, who can shoot wasnt automatically a top 50 guy. It's not like he's some slow moving stiff out there who can shoot well for a tall guy.

 

[pearl31]

I dont understand how someone 6'10 inches, agile, mobile, who can shoot wasnt automatically a top 50 guy. It's not like he's some slow moving stiff out there who can shoot well for a tall guy.

duke/kentucky didn't recruit him

 

[two3zone]

I dont understand how someone 6'10 inches, agile, mobile, who can shoot wasnt automatically a top 50 guy. It's not like he's some slow moving stiff out there who can shoot well for a tall guy.

duke/kentucky didn't recruit him

Not going to bang the guy too hard but you're both spot on. How in the heck was DC rated higher than TT? Think Pearl nailed it.

Have seen more from TT this year in the 20 years Coleman had been here.

 

[cuseattle]

Not going to bang the guy too hard but you're both spot on. How in the heck was DC rated higher than TT? Think Pearl nailed it.

Have seen more from TT this year in the 20 years Coleman had been here.

An injury can change things quickly.
Edit- for Coleman! Not TT!

 

[two3zone]

An injury can change things quickly.

Before his injury he was the same exact player, it's been almost two years since his injury as well.

Injury or not, I'm not sure how good he ever would have been. I very well could be wrong but it's not like he was an explosive player before the injury. D1 basketball is a lot different than playing at JD.

 

[Fly Rodder]

IIRC, Thompson had some lingering injuries in HS and as a real late bloomer. It seems the top-25 guys are usually sussed out 2-3 years out and then not much changes. Even late risers don't typically burn up the charts too far.

 

[RF2044]

IIRC, Thompson had some lingering injuries in HS and as a real late bloomer. It seems the top-25 guys are usually sussed out 2-3 years out and then not much changes. Even late risers don't typically burn up the charts too far.

I don't know if it was late blooming, or that he played on balanced teams that kept his stats down [similar to Lydon]. Kid can flat out ball, though.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't know if it was late blooming, or that he played on balanced teams that kept his stats down [similar to Lydon]. Kid can flat out ball, though.

He was a late bloomer. His game reached another level in the spring of his final year of prep school. The previous summer on the AAU circuit, he was an OK, but not great recruit. His final semester, it seemed like his offense really clicked, and he started having big scoring games. Really learned how to finish inside over either shoulder, which is huge. If you go back to some of Francis' podcasts, you'll hear him asking "Why is Thompson messing around and taking so long with his decision? It's not like he's an elite talent ..." And it was true, based on the summer before. Look at him now. His confidence is sky high right now, and he is playing like it.

 

[RF2044]

He was a late bloomer. His game reached another level in the spring of his final year of prep school. The previous summer on the AAU circuit, he was an OK, but not great recruit. His final semester, it seemed like his offense really clicked, and he started having big scoring games. Really learned how to finish inside over either shoulder, which is huge. If you go back to some of Francis' podcasts, you'll hear him asking "Why is Thompson messing around and taking so long with his decision? It's not like he's an elite talent ..." And it was true, based on the summer before. Look at him now. His confidence is sky high right now, and he is playing like it.

I think there is a much simpler explanation: Thompson isn't an explosive sky walker like the NBA covets, and isn't a big, strong specimen, so he was rated a bit lower than he probably should have been. He played for Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's before prep school--this kid has always been fundamentally sound and displayed good offensive skills. It isn't like he came out of nowhere.

I love what Thompson is doing now, but I'd caution that we need to see it against higher caliber teams, where his stats haven't been nearly as impressive. Hopefully, the infusion of minutes will help him adjust and get the job done against the bigger, better teams. Because he is much better than Coleman / Roberson, and offers us a lot more upside.