Texas wing looking at all options

After getting a little taste of home during the holiday break, Brewster Academy wing Tristan Thompson is playing his best basketball of the year. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Angleton, Texas native has a number of schools on his short list and would like to end a long recruitment soon.

According to Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith, Thompson has been a consistent offensive force for the New Hampshire school this year.

"He's been more of a scorer. Not really a slasher or a shooter but just a scorer," Smith said. "He's getting to the foul line a lot. That is what he does. He'll be in there for seven, eight minutes at a time and getting points on putbacks or leak out in transition or hit a three here and there. Since Christmas, he's been averaging about 20 a game for us."

Thompson's secret? A little Texas food and a chat with those close to him, he said.

"I got some of my grandmother's cooking and I had to get a different mindset," Thompson said. "Coach Smith told me before I was coming up here about Craig Brackins and P'Allen Stinnett and the rest of good players that we have here. So I thought I'd have to take a backseat to them. But after going home and talking to my mom, she told me to just play my game. That's what I ended up doing."

Thompson has found himself at a familiar place in games. He is finding ways to get to the foul line. That is his bread and butter. Thompson set a Texas record last year for most free throws made and attempted in a year.

With good success on the hardwood, Thompson said he's focusing now on recruiting. No stranger to the process, the post grad wing said he'd like to make a decision soon.

"I'd like to make a decision this month or next month. I've been going through the recruiting process for a while now," Thompson said.

Thompson said Wichita State (offer), New Mexico State (offer), Houston (offer), UTEP (offer), TCU, SMU, George Mason, Virginia, Oregon and Nevada are recruiting Thompson, he said. With five visits in hand, the already qualified prospect is looking at who is the most serious.

"If Oregon is serious about recruiting me, I'd love to visit there," Thompson said. "Wichita State has offered me after my junior year, my senior year and now here in my post grad year. So I want to visit them because they have recruited me for so long.

"I want to go somewhere that I'll fit in and somewhere that I can play as a freshman. I don't want to sit somewhere and waste a year of playing. Finding a place with good exposure and that plays on television and makes the tournament would be great."

Thompson said Houston has a leg up on programs for a couple of reasons. For starters, he has been to UH four times already and he has a connection to the school. His former high school coach, Tommy Penders, is the son of current Cougars head man Tom Penders.

Thompson said he would like to use all five visits before making a decision.