NC State has been heavily involved with Joliet (Ill.) West star rising senior Lisa Thompson for over a year.
The 5-foot-9 Thompson is a gifted offensive performer and also a standout with Midwest Elite in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. She narrowed her list of 36 offers to NC State, Boston College, DePaul, Florida State, Michigan State and Mississippi State.
ESPN’s HoopGurzl has her ranked No. 54 overall in the class of 2023. Assistant coach Brittany Morris has been the point person in the recruitment.
“Brittany is real cool and I like her,” Thompson said. “She’s supportive and she has definitely been keeping an eye out on me for a while.”
The Wolfpack started sending her mail in bulk, and then have been watching her closely this spring and are close to offering her a scholarship.
“NC State has made sure to fill up my mailbox with a whole bunch of mail, with letters and stuff,” Thompson said. “That is when I really noticed them. I was like, ‘They are really interested in me.’ But they had never reached out to me, so it was a different approach.”
NC State reached out to Thompson during her sophomore year and started building a recruiting relationship.
Thompson made sure to watch NC State on television this season, especially the postseason run to the Elite Eight. She likes how the Wolfpack play hard and are a fast-paced team, and played to the final buzzer.
“I really paid attention to them last season and watched them on TV,” Thompson said. “I can see myself playing in their playing style. Raina Perez, she’s good and amazing. I liked their guard play and how fast they play.
“Coach [Wes] Moore is very competitive and in the top spots. That stood out to me for me.”
The geography of her list and the various cities are certainly different from each other, but she hopes to start taking her official visits this summer. Recruiting started early for Thompson, who was offered by South Carolina in the seventh grade. Thompson used the vision of could she see herself at that particular school in pairing down her list.
“This has definitely been a process,” Thompson said. “It was definitely hard to dial in on a few colleges. I’ve learned so much from talking to coaches all over the country.”
Thompson has come to Raleigh for GetMeRecruited.com camps in the past and she enjoys the North Carolina weather. Home area DePaul doesn’t have the comfy weather, but it is close to family.
“I love North Carolina,” Thompson said. “It’s a cool state and nice and warm.”
Feeling comfortable, being treated well and performing to her top abilities will drive her final decision.
“Adjusting to a new lifetstyle and new city and being away, I think I’d get used to it,” said Thompson on if she leaves the area. “I’ve become good at adapting to new things. I don’t think it will be too hard. My family will support me wherever I go.”
Thompson was invited to the recent USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., but a recent minor injury prevented her from participating. She’s on the mend and looks forward to finishing the summer strong. The Nike Nationals will take place July 10-12 in Chicago.
Joliet West coach John Placher and Thompson’s father, Anthony Thompson, both remember a pair of area players, who went on to play for NC State men’s basketball — forward Scott Parzych (1978-82) of Lockport, Ill., and wing Terry Gannon (1981-85), who attended Joliet Catholic. Former recent NC State baseball player Jonny Butler was from nearby Channahon, Ill.
Placher calls Thompson a true force on both ends of the court.
“She’s a dynamic offensive player and I don’t think anybody can stay in front of her,” Thompson said. “She can shoot it, which is a plus because they can’t sag on her. She has range, but if they come up and guard her, she just goes right by them.”
Thompson’s dynamic in the open court and can get to the rim anytime she wants. She’s good on the ball defensively and learning the nuances of off the ball defense.
“She is the real deal and could have easily averaged 35 points per game for us last year,” Placher said.
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