Sophomore forward Race Thompson flew through the lane past two Providence College defenders whose feet hadn’t even left the ground yet. He corralled a missed layup, gave one hard dribble to collect himself and casually laid in the second chance layup, but he wasn’t done.
Thompson turned and sprinted back on defense as Providence pushed the ball up court trying to catch IU by surprise. Once again gliding through the air, seemingly out of nowhere, Thompson swatted the ball for the chase down block on what appeared to be an easy two points.
That was just the first minute of the Hoosiers’ 79-58 win over the Friars in the opening round of the Maui Invitational on Monday, and Thompson's day only continued to get better.
Last season, Thompson had his breakout game against Minnesota in February in Minneapolis, becoming a staple in IU’s rotation as an athletic forward who could anchor the defense and bring energy to the team.
What excited head coach Archie Miller and fans alike were the hustle plays he made: chasing down loose balls, contesting shots and the willingness to make plays the rest of the team didn’t. While Thompson passed the eye-test at the end of last season, he never filled the box score.
Now he’s doing both.
From the opening tip, Thompson was dominant on both sides of the ball, leading the Hoosiers with 22 points and 13 rebounds, the first double-double of his career.
“We just got a monster effort from Race Thompson, and I’m just so happy for him,” Miller said. “His development the last eight months, his attitude, his leadership and how he plays is how he practices every day, so it was great to see that.”
Thompson said that throughout the offseason, he has worked to expand his skillset. Last season he was a high energy forward who could rebound and finish at the rim, now he’s got many more tools at his disposal.
Thompson spread the floor for IU, making three of his five jump shots in the game.
“I’m confident in my shot,” Thompson said. “My teammates beg me to shoot the shot every day, they’re like, ‘Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it,’ so I’ve just started shooting it more. Coach Miller wants me to shoot those shots more and when people just believe in you it’s easier to make them.”
But as his game has expanded, Thompson hasn’t stopped doing what endeared him to the coaching staff and his teammates a season ago.
Even while playing a team-high 35 minutes, Thompson continued to make all the hustle plays. He grabbed eight offensive rebounds, was active defending ball screens and hustled to close out on open shooters which didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
“Race knows that I’m ecstatic that he’s had this type of game,” senior guard Al Durham said. “I’ve seen Race grow since he’s gotten here. He’s gone through a lot as everybody knows, so to see him have a game like this and show you all what we see when he’s healthy and like himself, he had a spectacular game. I’m so proud of him.”
