4-star 2017 guard Ethan Thompson is open to all

The latest college hoops prospect to talk with us is Ethan Thompson, a class of 2017 4-star combo guard from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, CA. Thompson is no stranger to college basketball. His dad, Stephen Thompson, was a standout at Syracuse, ranking 7th on the school’s all-time scoring list and currently is an assistant coach at Oregon State. In addition, Ethan’s older brother, Stephen Jr., is currently a freshman at Oregon State, playing under his dad.

It’s clear from watching Ethan play that he has benefited from having a father and older brother play basketball at the Division 1 level. He has a really smooth and fluid game. He handles the ball really well, finds the open man, and finishes well around the rim. “My strengths are my shooting ability and looking for my teammates and get them easy shots,” Ethan said. “Right now I’m trying to improve my athletic ability. Defensively, staying in front of my man, my slides, and being an all-around defensive player.”

Thompson has a desire to be as good on defense as he is on offense. He doesn’t simply want to be a great offensive player. He wants to make an impact on both ends of the floor, which is exactly what Cuonzo Martin wants in his players.

As a matter of fact, that’s why Ethan aspires to be like LeBron James, a player whose game he compared himself to. To be clear, he’s not saying he’s the next LeBron James, but he is saying that he sees a similarity in their style of play: “I don’t think it’s one specific player [that I can compare myself to]. If I had to pick one, I’d say LeBron James. He can score in all 3 levels, he looks for all his teammates, gives others the open ball, and allows others to shine as well.”

In regards to the Cal coaching staff, Ethan Thompson had a lot of positive and interesting things to say about their relationship: “It’s a great relationship and a great coaching staff,” he said. “They are positive and seem like they are on my side. At least every other day I’m receiving a text from them or a call. Almost every other day.”

Even though he currently doesn’t have a scholarship offer from the school, Ethan Thompson feels like Cal is very interested in his services and what he can bring to the program. “They make me feel like I’m one of their high interest players,” he said. “They’ve been wanting me to visit in the next month, but I haven’t had the time due to my season with Bishop Montgomery. I’ll probably try to make all the visits before I make my decision.”

The fact that Cal wants him to visit is a sign that they are interested in him. It sounds like from what Ethan is saying is that they want him to visit sooner rather than later and that he is interested in visiting as soon as his season with Bishop Montgomery is over.

In addition, Ethan is not close to making a decision or willing to rule anybody out. “I’m just trying to look for the best school that will suit me. I’m still open,” he said. Ethan’s stated open-mindedness is encouraging from the standpoint that if offered a scholarship, he would certainly consider coming to Cal.

As for who else is on his radar, Ethan told me that he has offers from Oregon State, Arizona, UCLA, Boise State and receiving “high interest” from Stanford, Harvard, Cornell, Washington State, and a couple of other schools in addition to Cal. I have no doubt that due to his 4-star status and pedigree, more schools will offer him scholarships and express interest in him, so it’s definitely good for Cal to start building a relationship with him right now.

As it stands, Cal is definitely interested in Ethan Thompson. He is a very talented player who can play point guard and shooting guard. Cuonzo Martin likes players who can play multiple positions and he definitely fits that criteria. What will probably determine whether or not he gets a scholarship offer is how well his visit goes should he visit and also whether or not Cal wants a third combo guard joining Jemarl Baker, Jr. and Alec Hickman in 2017.

The fact that Cal is contacting Ethan indicates that they are interested in another combo guard to give their backcourt more depth and versatility. At 6’4, he has the length to perhaps be a Tyrone Wallace type of guard and that is certainly a reason for Cal to be showing the interest in him that they are.