BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Race Thompson stood near the 3-point line, microphone in hand, as faint chants of “one more year” echoed through Assembly Hall. Thompson looked over his shoulder to thank his parents, and emotions quickly overwhelmed his senior night speech.
"I was teary-eyed and all that,” Thompson said. “I did not know. I didn't know. I was like, 'This is probably my last game here.'”
Just minutes before, Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr. drilled a game-winning 3-pointer over Thompson with two seconds left on the clock. The Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament chances dwindled after this home loss to a fellow bubble team on March 2, Indiana's sixth loss in eight games.
Eight days later, the Hoosiers overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. Thompson’s 10-point, 9-rebound the next day gave Indiana the win it desperately needed – a 65-63 win over Illinois in the semifinals. Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon hit a 3-pointer to take down the Hoosiers, eliminating the possibility of an Indiana-Purdue rubber match in the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Still, Indiana snuck in the NCAA Tournament's First Four round in Dayton, Ohio, where the Hoosiers defeated Wyoming for their first win in the Big Dance since 2016. Following a Round of 64 loss to Saint Mary’s to end Indiana’s season, Thompson had a decision to make.
Because the NCAA granted every student-athlete an extra year due to COVID-19, he was eligible for a rare sixth year of college. Thompson talked with his parents, he sat in the Indiana coaching staff's office for over an hour and examined his options for the following season. Fierce defense, leadership and efficiency makes Thompson the kind of player that’s vital to every successful college basketball team, but making a professional roster was no guarantee.
On April 14, Thompson decided to run it back for one more year. He was intrigued by the strides Indiana made in one year with coach Mike Woodson, the talented freshman class, the opportunity to play with Trayce Jackson-Davis in the paint and the potential success in the 2022-23 season.
“I wanted to be a part of that,” Thompson said. “I think the sky's the limit for our team this year.”
Thompson talked with the Indiana basketball video team, and officially announced his return later that day.
Thompson’s ascent to a 62-game Big Ten starter is one of Indiana’s best long-term development stories in recent years. He joined the Hoosiers as the No. 134 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite, and took a redshirt year during coach Archie Miller’s first season in 2017-18.
Thompson logged playing time in just nine games the following year, scoring six total points and grabbing 19 rebounds. He came off the bench in 29 games during the 2019-20 season, averaging 3.7 points in 13.6 minutes. Thompson saw 20-plus minutes of action in six of the final nine games that year, nearly posting double-doubles against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Building off a strong final stretch of his redshirt sophom*ore season, Thompson proved he was ready to be a serious contributor with a 22-point, 13-rebound game in Indiana’s win over Providence in the second game of the 2020-21 season. He’d go on to start all 27 games, boosting his averages to 9.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Last season, Thompson anchored an Indiana team that led the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency. He took a personal leap in offensive efficiency, too, posting a career-highs in 2-point field-goal percentage (59.7) and points per game (11.1). And most importantly, he helped Indiana reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
“A lot of the guys had never even been in tournament play, so they got an opportunity to taste a little bit of it and what it's all about,” Woodson said. “Hopefully it will be a nice carry over to this season."
Indiana played with more space in Woodson’s first year, allowing Thompson to stretch his game out to the perimeter. He shot 55 3-pointers – more than his first four seasons combined – and connected at a 27.3 percent clip.
Proving to opponents that Thompson will shoot from the outside gives Jackson-Davis more room to operate down low, but making them on a more consistent basis is key to Indiana fulfilling its preseason status as the Big Ten favorite. Thompson said he’s worked on his 3-point shot seven days a week this offseason, which has led to increased confidence to knock them down.
“Coaches want me shooting them. Even my teammates push me to shoot them. They say I don't shoot them enough," Thompson said. "It's gotten better almost every year, so for me, it's really just a confidence thing, and I'm feeling real confident right now in it."
For most of last season, the idea of both Thompson and Jackson-Davis returning was far from a sure thing. But when Jackson-Davis decided to return after COVID-19 limited his ability to participate in the NBA Draft Combine, the pieces for a Big Ten title contender fell into place. With 14 of the 17 2021-22 All-Big Ten players gone, Thompson and Jackson-Davis have a chance to form one of the conference’s top duos this year.
Woodson calls Thompson and Jackson-Davis’s chemistry and style of play down low “buddy-buddy ball.” Woodson is relying on them to lead Indiana to his goals of winning a Big Ten and national title. For Thompson, the 2022-23 season is officially his last chance to do so. He’ll give another senior night speech, “but I can't cry again,” Thompson joked. Approaching his sixth and final season in an Indiana jersey, Thompson explained how he wants to be remembered.
"Just a great teammate,” Thompson said. “Someone who would do anything to win a game.”
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- HOOSIERS WANT MORE THREE-POINT PRODUCTION:Last season, the Hoosiers ranked 11th in made three-pointers in the Big Ten. Coach Mike Woodson, along with his team, wants to see more production from the three-point line this season. Woodson pointed at Miller Kopp, Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis among those who need to shoot more from downtown. CLICK HERE
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