Ashiville, NC – Not far from Race Thompson’s home in Plymouth, Minnesota There is a space with small sugar holes. In the spring, when the waiting room closed and the gym closed due to COVID-19, Thompson went up the hill with his brother and a few friends.
They started working in the morning immediately after sending students home from across the country. Thompson slipped on a weighted vest and dug a pair of new Adidas cleats into the ground during sprints up the hill. They made a circuit with a resistance band. They brought a deck of cards, each costume was a different exercise while the numbers determined the number of rips.
Later on Zoom, Thompson worked on his ball-handling. He was on the court, constantly working to add jump shots. After completing his workouts, Thompson went on track for more. When Jim opened the back up, he worked on body control and core strength.
On Monday, Indiana head coach Archie Miller called it one of the most impressive offsenses ever seen.
Thompson was at the Cherokee Center Court in Hath, with his career double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first round of Maui Invitational’s 5-5-58 win over Providence. He played minutes minutes, which is 10 more than the highest level of his career. Dividends paid for each hill run.
There was Thompson, who fought with injuries in his red shirt and fresh healthy season, eventually recovering. There was Thompson, who entered circulation late last season, igniting the offensive line for Indiana. Thompson was the leading Indiana there.
“His emergence, for me, is one of the special things about this off-season and seeing him get a little reward for everything he did.” “… I’m very happy for him over the last eight months because of his development, his attitude, his leadership and how he plays, how he practices every day.”
What Thompson did on the court during the summer is of course important. But to really get a full picture of Thompson’s transformation, you have to understand what happened from the court.
On May 25, George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by police more than 20 minutes from Thompson’s home. Flood hit near the city’s local restaurant Cup Foods. Thompson had come before.
“This is home for me,” Thompson said during the summer. “This runs home.”
As protests spread across the country, Thompson spoke passionately on a team zoom call. They were featured in an IU basketball video that promotes racial equality. Wearing a black mask covering his face, Thompson took part in a peaceful protest. He walked through the crowd chanting “Legal action against the police”. During the protests in late May, a semi-truck flew off the road scattered on several roads. Thompson helped others get to the side of the highway and to the fence.
With those experiences came maturity and sound. When the Indiana players returned to campus in July, Thompson was named the season champion. When senior Al Durham was asked who stepped down as leader without hesitation, he told Thompson. Thompson was included when the captain was named.
“I think that’s the purpose of it,” said Cliff Marshall, director of Athletic Performance, inside the hall during the summer. “It’s almost like he flipped the switch.”
With that in mind, consider Thompson’s performance on Monday afternoon. Indiana senior forward Joy Brunk was already thin in Francecourt without, dealing with back discomfort. After Indiana’s win over Tennessee Tech, Miller criticized his team’s ability to rebound. The Hoosiers needed someone to move on.
From the outset, it was clear that Thompson was the man. He made the first two points for Indiana by clearing the missed lap from Armaan Franklin. After that, Thompson followed him with a block from the other end.
As Providence moved into the extended zone, thpsmpson spun from base to bottom, showing one feather-like floater after another. On defensive possession, he did not bite on the pump counterfeit. Instead, he hit the wall, pushing a shot at anyone who bounced innocently from the top of the batboard.
With seven minutes left in half a minute, Thompson checked for Trace Jackson-Davis, who had just made his second wrong take. On the bottom possession, Thompson cleared another miss for two more points.
All the while, he was showing quiet leadership. Applause for the promotion of Thomps. At the end of the time, he nodded, signaling to maintain the intensity of the hosiery. He slapped freshman guard Christian Lander on the chest.
“I’ll just say confidence,” Thampus said after the game. “It simply came to our notice then. The coach told me to go out with extreme confidence before the game and do what you do. ”
Thumpson continued to dominate after halftime. Half a minute later, Thomps threw another bite. Now on the next possession, Thompson fed Durham for a 3-pointer. A huge smile appeared on both their faces as their hands clasped. The growth of Durham, which is part of the same recruiting class as Thompson, has been seen like no other.
“He’s going through a lot, because he knows everyone here knows,” Durham said. “It’s just a game like this to watch and show what we want. While he is healthy and himself, I mean he had a wonderful game. I am very proud of it. I can’t even put into words how proud I am of it. “
The final call was eight minutes away when the game was already out of reach. Thompson grabbed the Jackson-Davis miss and roared a two-headed slam, turning the ball back to the back of his head. He shouted so loudly that he would not be able to hear the noise of the crowd or the noise from the bench.
Thompson wanted to let everyone know he was in the building. Once and for all.
(Photo credit: Maui Invitation)
File File: Race Thompson
