Tulane's basketball team finished last in the AAC, but through no fault of Christion Thompson. He gave this team everything he had, and in conference play, he finished seventh in scoring (15.3), ninth in rebounding (6.3), send in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), tied for fourth in steals, fourth in free throws made (88), 10th in field goal percentage (.444) and 10th in minutes (34.5).
He's a thoughtful, hard-working guy who burned to win and can be happy with his effort even though the wins never came. I talked to him yesterday right before Tulane headed to Fort Worth for the ACC tourney.
I do not think Tulane will beat UConn--in fact, I think the Huskies will go on a run to the tourney final and lose to Houston--but it would be well deserved for Thompson if the Wave advances.
CHRISTION THOMPSON
You’ve done well for someone Rhode Island thought was only a glue guy. What has your experience at Tulane been like?
“My experience has been a good one. I was talking to my mom and talking to the coaches, and it’s just been a blessing to come here. I talk to my family, and my brothers were talking about a lot of times you make plans and the plans go through. I planned to come here this year and expand my role as a player and be better for a team and help build this program, and that’s what we did. The wins didn’t come, but they will come. Everybody just has to stay true to themselves.
You were sitting in a chair courtside about 20 minutes after the UConn loss and looking very glum. How hard was that loss on Senior Day?
“It was hurtful. When you put so much into something, you want to see the goal and see the end product, but you have to stay patient. I’m a big believer in trusting the process, but I’m also a big believer in trusting your work. You’ve got to be confident and you’ve got to believe in God and believe that everything you work for will eventually come to light and you will start reaping what you sow in a good way.”
I counted seven people on the court with you for Senior Day.
“Yeah, I had my family, my girl, my mother and my brother. My other two brothers had to work and couldn’t make it, my stepdad and my grandfather.
What did it mean having them there?
“It meant the world to me. Being able to come home and just having those people and having family the whole year, being able to finish my career at home, it meant the world to me.”
How much does it mean for you to prove you could be a big scorer and do all the things you did within the framework of a team?
“I thank coach first off giving me the opportunity. These coaches basically told me we just need you to come here, play hard and believe in us. It took for me to start to buy into the program and buy into the system that we have here and being able to play my game. Like I told you at the beginning of the year, I knew what I wanted to bring to the table. I was able to do that and more. I also taught these young guys what it takes to win and just be a winner. Winner doesn’t always mean you’re going to win the game, but just having the characteristics and the work ethic of a winner, it plays a role.”
What was the reason you guys finished last?
“I want to pick the right words. I think it’s just having those big-time possessions in the game that you’re not able to come through with. It’s not so much offensive end. It’s on the defensive end. Rebounding and turnovers and not getting a key stop that you need with two minutes left. It’s the little things that come with being a new team. I know we’ve played together all year, so being a new team is not an excuse as of right now, but as this program continues to grow and these guys continue to get closer. Once they come together and everybody is able to click and mesh well, I’m more than certain that this will be a top program in this conference.”
Coach Hunter says he wants to get five guys just like you. How nice does it feel to hear that?
“It’s a big compliment, and I take it to heart. I try to strive and play like it’s my last every day. I take pride in playing hard and doing the little things that other people aren’t able to do. I talk to the younger players all the time, there are so many scorers out there in the world, but there are not people who want to do everything else. Even in life, people who do the other things make a career and get paid.”
What are your future plans?
“I want to see where basketball can take me. I know I’ll be able to play basketball after this, so when it’s all said and done, I will sit down with the coaches, sit down with my family, pray and ask God and let God lead the way like he led me to come here.”
What are you most proud of?
“I think I’m most proud of just being able to show everything that I can do, not letting myself down. I knew what I could do, but it takes a lot to be able to come out and perform every night. I started fast and slowed up during the season but I was able to come back. I just trusted myself. I never gave up on myself. When stuff got harder, I just had to work harder and that’s just something I’m proud of. Really I would say not folding under pressure, being able to impact this team in ways that I impacted this team. We didn’t get the wins I wanted, but if I had another year, I guarantee we would have gotten it right.”
What do you need to do Thursday against UConn that you didn’t do Sunday?
“We have to just stick to the game plan. We just have to rebound better. We lost that game on the rebounding. There’s not many games we won the rebounding, and this game it did hurt us. Just coming back, regrouping, staying together, playing like we played and getting even more contributions from everybody and doing the little things. I’ve got to do that better. Last game I strayed away from rebounds. I finished with four rebounds, and I can’t do that in order for us to win. I’ll be looking to get more rebounds than points this game.”
How much have you paid attention to Rhode Island this year?
“I haven’t really talked to a lot of those guys. I wish them the best and I talk to Jeff Dowtin, the point guard, and I talk to Tyrese Martin, their shooting guard who was my freshman last year. I tell them there’s a lot of media stuff, especially now there’s going to be a lot of media that comes. Jeff knows. He took us to the tournament two years. I just tell them stay together. A lot of people are going to try to break y’all down and try to say what’s y’all problem, but only you know what the problem is inside your locker room and you are the only people that can really fix your problem.”
Do you wish you had another year?
“I’m ready for my next chapter. I’m not saying I’m not ready. I’m ready to get paid for playing basketball, but you always get the what ifs when something’s coming to an end. What if you would have done this? What if you would have done that? I don’t regret going to Rhode Island. I don’t regret staying at Rhode Island four years, but I wonder and I wish if I had one more year with this team and coach Hunter, what it would be like. I know we definitely would have gotten over the hump that we need to get over.”
Do you feel like the guys are ready to take that next step without you and K.J.?
“This is the thing. Coach came into this without me and K.J, but he got everybody else that build this program with and he’ll have his coaches on the road and they have their eyes on a couple of guys that I know, a couple of guys that can come and fill the void. I’m not saying they’ll be better than us or they won’t be better than us. You never know. You see all the time a guy transfer who wasn’t able to play for one team come over and excel just like I did this year, so I’m expecting big things from them. I know they’ll be ready to play and coach Hunter will have them ready for the season whenever that comes around.”
Do you think this team can make a run in Fort Worth?
“Yeah, definitely. I’m a competitor, so I definitely have hope. Guys are not feeling like we’re going there to lose. I think we can make a run. It’s definitely going to be unexpected, but if you look at it we’ve been playing our best ball. We just haven’t been able to finish the games.”
What happened in the eight-game stretch where you guys were not competitive?
“In that eight-game stretch it was kind of like we weren’t together as a team. We were doing things that went against the game plan and went against what we need to do to win. It was really to a point where you just have to buckle down and say we’re not losing. We came out and ended up getting a win, and that one win, from there on out, it was like this is the standard, this is what we need to do. We were able to get better and grow as a team. We haven’t been able to finish recently, especially the last two, but the way we’ve been playing is definitely eye-opening. We’re growing.”
He's a thoughtful, hard-working guy who burned to win and can be happy with his effort even though the wins never came. I talked to him yesterday right before Tulane headed to Fort Worth for the ACC tourney.
I do not think Tulane will beat UConn--in fact, I think the Huskies will go on a run to the tourney final and lose to Houston--but it would be well deserved for Thompson if the Wave advances.
CHRISTION THOMPSON
You’ve done well for someone Rhode Island thought was only a glue guy. What has your experience at Tulane been like?
“My experience has been a good one. I was talking to my mom and talking to the coaches, and it’s just been a blessing to come here. I talk to my family, and my brothers were talking about a lot of times you make plans and the plans go through. I planned to come here this year and expand my role as a player and be better for a team and help build this program, and that’s what we did. The wins didn’t come, but they will come. Everybody just has to stay true to themselves.
You were sitting in a chair courtside about 20 minutes after the UConn loss and looking very glum. How hard was that loss on Senior Day?
“It was hurtful. When you put so much into something, you want to see the goal and see the end product, but you have to stay patient. I’m a big believer in trusting the process, but I’m also a big believer in trusting your work. You’ve got to be confident and you’ve got to believe in God and believe that everything you work for will eventually come to light and you will start reaping what you sow in a good way.”
I counted seven people on the court with you for Senior Day.
“Yeah, I had my family, my girl, my mother and my brother. My other two brothers had to work and couldn’t make it, my stepdad and my grandfather.
What did it mean having them there?
“It meant the world to me. Being able to come home and just having those people and having family the whole year, being able to finish my career at home, it meant the world to me.”
How much does it mean for you to prove you could be a big scorer and do all the things you did within the framework of a team?
“I thank coach first off giving me the opportunity. These coaches basically told me we just need you to come here, play hard and believe in us. It took for me to start to buy into the program and buy into the system that we have here and being able to play my game. Like I told you at the beginning of the year, I knew what I wanted to bring to the table. I was able to do that and more. I also taught these young guys what it takes to win and just be a winner. Winner doesn’t always mean you’re going to win the game, but just having the characteristics and the work ethic of a winner, it plays a role.”
What was the reason you guys finished last?
“I want to pick the right words. I think it’s just having those big-time possessions in the game that you’re not able to come through with. It’s not so much offensive end. It’s on the defensive end. Rebounding and turnovers and not getting a key stop that you need with two minutes left. It’s the little things that come with being a new team. I know we’ve played together all year, so being a new team is not an excuse as of right now, but as this program continues to grow and these guys continue to get closer. Once they come together and everybody is able to click and mesh well, I’m more than certain that this will be a top program in this conference.”
Coach Hunter says he wants to get five guys just like you. How nice does it feel to hear that?
“It’s a big compliment, and I take it to heart. I try to strive and play like it’s my last every day. I take pride in playing hard and doing the little things that other people aren’t able to do. I talk to the younger players all the time, there are so many scorers out there in the world, but there are not people who want to do everything else. Even in life, people who do the other things make a career and get paid.”
What are your future plans?
“I want to see where basketball can take me. I know I’ll be able to play basketball after this, so when it’s all said and done, I will sit down with the coaches, sit down with my family, pray and ask God and let God lead the way like he led me to come here.”
What are you most proud of?
“I think I’m most proud of just being able to show everything that I can do, not letting myself down. I knew what I could do, but it takes a lot to be able to come out and perform every night. I started fast and slowed up during the season but I was able to come back. I just trusted myself. I never gave up on myself. When stuff got harder, I just had to work harder and that’s just something I’m proud of. Really I would say not folding under pressure, being able to impact this team in ways that I impacted this team. We didn’t get the wins I wanted, but if I had another year, I guarantee we would have gotten it right.”
What do you need to do Thursday against UConn that you didn’t do Sunday?
“We have to just stick to the game plan. We just have to rebound better. We lost that game on the rebounding. There’s not many games we won the rebounding, and this game it did hurt us. Just coming back, regrouping, staying together, playing like we played and getting even more contributions from everybody and doing the little things. I’ve got to do that better. Last game I strayed away from rebounds. I finished with four rebounds, and I can’t do that in order for us to win. I’ll be looking to get more rebounds than points this game.”
How much have you paid attention to Rhode Island this year?
“I haven’t really talked to a lot of those guys. I wish them the best and I talk to Jeff Dowtin, the point guard, and I talk to Tyrese Martin, their shooting guard who was my freshman last year. I tell them there’s a lot of media stuff, especially now there’s going to be a lot of media that comes. Jeff knows. He took us to the tournament two years. I just tell them stay together. A lot of people are going to try to break y’all down and try to say what’s y’all problem, but only you know what the problem is inside your locker room and you are the only people that can really fix your problem.”
Do you wish you had another year?
“I’m ready for my next chapter. I’m not saying I’m not ready. I’m ready to get paid for playing basketball, but you always get the what ifs when something’s coming to an end. What if you would have done this? What if you would have done that? I don’t regret going to Rhode Island. I don’t regret staying at Rhode Island four years, but I wonder and I wish if I had one more year with this team and coach Hunter, what it would be like. I know we definitely would have gotten over the hump that we need to get over.”
Do you feel like the guys are ready to take that next step without you and K.J.?
“This is the thing. Coach came into this without me and K.J, but he got everybody else that build this program with and he’ll have his coaches on the road and they have their eyes on a couple of guys that I know, a couple of guys that can come and fill the void. I’m not saying they’ll be better than us or they won’t be better than us. You never know. You see all the time a guy transfer who wasn’t able to play for one team come over and excel just like I did this year, so I’m expecting big things from them. I know they’ll be ready to play and coach Hunter will have them ready for the season whenever that comes around.”
Do you think this team can make a run in Fort Worth?
“Yeah, definitely. I’m a competitor, so I definitely have hope. Guys are not feeling like we’re going there to lose. I think we can make a run. It’s definitely going to be unexpected, but if you look at it we’ve been playing our best ball. We just haven’t been able to finish the games.”
What happened in the eight-game stretch where you guys were not competitive?
“In that eight-game stretch it was kind of like we weren’t together as a team. We were doing things that went against the game plan and went against what we need to do to win. It was really to a point where you just have to buckle down and say we’re not losing. We came out and ended up getting a win, and that one win, from there on out, it was like this is the standard, this is what we need to do. We were able to get better and grow as a team. We haven’t been able to finish recently, especially the last two, but the way we’ve been playing is definitely eye-opening. We’re growing.”
