Barry Thompson Has Interest
Barry Thompson, a 6-6, 195 pound combination forward from Odessa J.C. in Odessa, Tex., is another rising sophomore Wrangler who will get highly recruited next year.
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A native of Racine, Wis., Thompson (pictured right) had a very productive freshman season at Odessa in 2000-2001, averaging 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. He was the Wranglers' leading scorer, and a major cog in Odessa's run to the NJCAA Tournament in March.
An excellent slasher who is very effective around the basket, Thompson has range out to three point land, although his short and midrange perimeter game is stronger at this stage. Barry is also a good rebounder on the offensive glass, and if you don't put a body on him, he'll kill you from in close.
Odessa Asst. Coach Matt Figger informed JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com that
Louisiana Tech and Colorado State are two schools which have expressed an early interest in Thompson.
Figger feels that a reduction in Thompson's weight should translate to an even better sophomore season. Thompson tipped the scales at about 237 pounds at the NJCAA Tournament in March; he is now down to 195.
"It kind of helped that he got his jaw broken the last week of school, playing in a pickup game," Figger quipped. "He could not eat anything. He just got the plates off now."
Despite his excellent freshman season, Thompson turned in a sub-par effort at the NJCAA Tournament. Figger feels that this has hurt Thompson's recruitment early on.
"I think a lot of guys saw him play out at Hutch for the first time and he played bad," Figger explained. "If they had seen him play in the regional tournament against Hill, they would love him. But that's just Barry, his consistency is the main thing that is lacking there."
Figger will be taking several of Odessa's players to a pair of summer J.C. events -- Rick Ball's Collin County Camp in Plano, Tex., next week, as well as Jerry Mullen's Showcase in Tulsa, Okla., at the end of July.