Oregon State lands another Thompson
Torrance, CA
Upon the hiring of Wayne Tinkle, the program at Oregon State has drastically seen a revamped roster of talent coming from the high school ranks. Granted that a few recruits have had bloodlines leading back to the staff in Corvallis, optimism is aplenty at OSU. On Monday evening, things look even brighter where Ethan Thompson, a top-50 guard from Bishop Montgomery High School in California, gave his verbal commitment to the Pac 12 program.
The younger brother of Stephen Thompson Jr, a 6-foot-4 off guard and a top contributor for the Beavers heading into the college basketball season this winter, the younger sibling is an excellent haul for Tinkle’s bunch. Also the son of assistant coach Stephen Thompson Sr, the 2017 guard had always spoken about creating his own legacy within the college realm. However, family and fit won out as Oregon State came up with an excellent pick-up in the backcourt.
Running with the loaded Cal Supreme 17-under team program this past summer, Thompson wasn’t always able to show what all he was capable of doing playing alongside five-star big men DeAndre Ayton and Brandon McCoy, along with top-20 junior guard Brandon Williams. However, whether it was on the travel circuit or at various camp settings, the top-50 senior was still capable of displaying his unique traits and versatility in the backcourt.
While strength gain is a need of Thompson’s, the super composed and efficient producer is someone that should step in and immediately leave an imprint via the outside jumper. Making nearly 80-percent of his foul shots and close to 37-percent of his perimeter jumpers, the stroke is already in line with the Oregon State commit. A much underrated portion of his game comes in his ability to slide over onto the ball and playmake whenever the opportunity presents itself, proof being his nearly three assists per game throughout his Nike EYBL play this past summer.
The first commitment in the 2017 class for Oregon State, Wayne Tinkle and his staff will continue to remain hot on the trail as they pursue big men options in the likes of Samson George, Alex Yetna, and Christian Negron, while they are also right there in the mix for Zach Reichle, a sharpshooting wing from within the state’s borders.
