Averaging a double-double his senior year at Torrance High School in Torrance, California, while leading his team to the California Division II-A finals, Deon Thompson was heavily recruited by all of the big name schools, including North Carolina, Connecticut, Gonzaga, and Kentucky. With the college basketball world at his fingertips, the decision certainly wasn’t easy. That is until UNC Head Coach Roy Williams came into Deon’s house to meet with Deon and his family.
“When he first sat down at home meetings it was just the feeling that I got from him, it was the best feeling that I got from anybody,” said Thompson in a recent telephone interview with TheRookieWall.com.
After settling in at Chapel Hill, Thompson quickly began to work on his conditioning and diet to be able to better compete on such a high level at a power conference school.
“When I first got to Carolina I was pretty overweight, a bigger guy, and [Jonas Sahratian, the strength and conditioning coach] really got to me early and just changed my diet and changed the way I took care of my body,” he said.
With a new physique, Thompson was now ready to bang with the big boys in the ACC. Although his North Carolina team was stacked with talent (seven McDonald’s All-American players), Thompson managed to get playing time and contribute his freshman season, averaging 12 minutes and five points a night.
With a year under his belt, Thompson was able to get more minutes his sophomore season, and ended up leading the Tar Heels in blocked shots with 51. Getting time and contributing was difficult given that he was playing behind future lottery pick, and ACC great, Tyler Hansbrough.
The 2008-2009 season was a memorable one for Thompson and the Tar Heels, as they managed to win the National Championship. Four players from that team went on to be drafted that year: Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.
After losing the floor general (Lawson), three-point specialist (Ellington), and UNC’s all-time leading scorer (Psycho-T), things didn’t come as easy for Carolina in Thompson’s final year with the team. The Tar Heels finished with 17 losses this year, and being a senior, Thompson was faced with the task of helping the younger players cope with the highs and lows of the season.
Following the 2009-2010 season, Thompson took part in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Although not realizing his goal of being invited to the NBA combine in Chicago, Thompson hasn’t let that stop him. He continues to work hard with the Carolina coaching staff twice a day in Chapel Hill in hopes of achieving his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.
Below is a transcript of the interview The Rookie Wall had with Deon:
The Rookie Wall: Where are you currently working out?
Deon Thompson: Right now I’m in Chapel Hill [North Carolina], working out twice a day and just still living here. It’s just so hard for me to pick up and move everything back home so I’m still here living.
TRW: Who are you working out with at the University of North Carolina?
DT: Our coaching staff from North Carolina is working me out twice a day. It’s someone different from my coaching staff working me out, five different coaches everyday working on my game.
TRW: What types of things are you working on?
DT: We’re working on a variety of things, being able to put the ball on the ground and being able to make moves after moves when someone stops dribble penetration one way and being able to make a move in a different direction, and also extending my range.
TRW: Are there other players involved in the workouts, or is it just one-on-one with the coaching staff?
DT: It’s more one-on-one with the coaching staff. Sean May is actually in town so he’s been working out with me, so it’s just been me and him and Jackie Manuel whose been around and I’ve been hopping in the workouts with him.
TRW: What about fellow teammate Ed Davis who is going through the same process right now?
DT: Right now I believe he’s in California working out.
TRW: What made you decide to pick North Carolina over other schools coming out of high school?
DT: I’d say it was Coach [Roy] Williams. Even now he’s still helping me with making decisions on things and he’s just been a big influence on my life. When he first sat down at home meetings it was just the feeling that I got from him, it was the best feeling that I got from anybody. I felt that I could reach my full potential playing under him and it’s been a great experience being able to win a National Championship.
TRW: Do you think coming from such a prominent school that won the National Championship is going to help your stock at all, or is it just going to be your performance on the court over the years?
DT: I think [coming from UNC] definitely helps because scouts know a lot about me at Carolina. A lot of our games have been televised; a lot of guys come out to watch us play. But I still think that there’s another side of my game that they haven’t been able to see, just being in the system and playing here. So I feel like I’m also a different player outside of the Carolina system so it’s hard to say but it’s definitely a great advantage coming from a program like [North Carolina], coming from one of the best coaches in America, and the style of play of getting up fast and running the floor and things like that has definitely helped me.
TRW: Being a four year player you have been through the highest of highs by winning the National Championship and recently have experienced a drop off. What is it like and what have you learned from the experience of playing with the different types of teams you have played with over the years and having different levels of success on the court?
DT: You definitely just have to adapt. My first three years and even my last year I have always been surrounded by good players so being able to find yourself on the floor and being able to help your team in a lot of ways is an advantage I have to help my game all around. Definitely the adversity I went through this year just really speaks to my character a little bit to be able to every day even though the season didn’t go as well as we wanted it to go when we ended up in the NIT but we still found a way to continue to go out there every day and continue to play hard. People are so used to everything being so easy, but when things hit the fan to be able to continue to play through the down periods, and I think that just goes back to Coach Williams as well, he just doesn’t give up on us and continues to come out every day and coach us so it made us have to play every day.
TRW: What’s the feeling like in the locker room coming off tough losses?
DT: It’s a different feeling. Going from National Championship to NIT is definitely a totally different feeling and in those types of situations you just have to stick together as a team. Those guys from past years and every year are always my fifteen brothers; we are always together and stick close through the good times and the bad. We definitely just stuck close as a team and continued to uplift guy’s spirits and the younger guys just trying to lift them up.
TRW: In general, everyone on the team was pretty close?
DT: Yea, we are all brothers, we all hang out together, we eat together, so that’s mostly who we hang out with is our teammates.
TRW: What, besides the National Championship, would you say has been the highlight of your college career?
DT: I think definitely all the winning at the program. But this past year I set an NCAA record with the most games played. I think it’s pretty cool because a lot of guys can’t make it through seasons without injuries and things like that, so to be able to show up every night and play every game over a span of four years is something pretty cool.
TRW: What do you think led to your ability to stay pretty much injury free over four years, and what did you do to prepare your body night in and night out for the grind your body had to take?
DT: Our strength and conditioning coach, Jonas Sahratian. He helped me a lot. When I first got to Carolina I was pretty overweight, a bigger guy, and he really got to me early and just changed my diet and changed the way I took care of my body and staying in the weight room with him and continuing to get stronger. As I continued to take care of my body in the weight room it just allowed me to play through the little nicks and injuries.
TRW: Who did you sign with for representation?
DT: Jim Tanner from Williams & Connolly LLP [in Washington, D.C.].
TRW: What made you select him, what was the agent selection process like, and what other agents were you considering?
DT: It definitely was a good feel from the jump. Personally I just felt a good connection with him as a person and who he is as a person. Him being a Carolina guy kind of helped a little bit in his favor. He really seems like he cares, that’s just the one thing I was really looking for was somebody who cares. I am going to work hard on the court and you definitely want someone outside of the court working just as hard for you. Their whole group from Trevor, Graham, and the ladies in the office, and Jim all just seem like they are working hard for me to give me an opportunity to try and get my foot into the door at the NBA.
I also sat down with Mike Lindeman who is an agent under Jeff Schwartz [of Excel Sports Management] who is very respectable and I liked him a lot. I also sat down with Bill Strickland out of California, and also Tony Dutt from Dutt Sports Services which all had good feels and are all respectable and all good people, but I just had the best feeling when it came down to it with Jim Tanner.
TRW: How is Jim [Tanner] handling the draft process thus far and are you still happy with your decision?
DT: Yea, definitely. I’m the type of person that is very loyal. I plan on sticking with him through this process and I hope he plans on sticking with me through the good times and the bad.
TRW: Was there ever a time during your stay at North Carolina that you thought you would declare early for the NBA draft, or did you always know you would be a four year player?
DT: It’s kind of amazing the fact that I am even here where I am today, being able to play at Carolina and being able to start there for four years. Basketball came late to me so being able to just be here for four years and being able to get a degree is just already a blessing. Of course every kid wants to leave college early but I had no problem staying four years.
TRW: Have you talked with any of the other North Carolina players that have gone on to play in the NBA, like Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green? What have they told you to help prepare you mentally for what’s ahead?
DT: I think they’ve all had a little bit of a different type of shock that they got when they got [to the NBA]. I think they are definitely happy to be out of school but their expectations weren’t as what it is. It is definitely a different type of grind with 82 games, it’s a long season, and it’s unfortunate what Tyler had to go through. I know the type of person [Tyler] is and for him not to be able to touch a basketball and be out there on the floor every night has to be killing him. Ty had a great year with Denver and enjoyed it. Wayne just had to deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the losing which is not something that he’s accustomed to. So those guys have definitely had to battle through different types of things.
TRW: After playing at Portsmouth, what type of feedback did you get and what type of things have you worked on since that NBA teams are looking for you to be able to do?
DT: Portsmouth was ok, it was solid. Obviously I didn’t go to the pre-draft camp so I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to do, but you got to just continue to push forward but I think the big question mark for some teams is am I going to be able to rebound the ball in traffic. So I tried to show that down there a little bit that I can rebound the ball. I think [NBA teams] also want to see a little more of a face up game from me, so those are the types of things that I’ve been working on down here in Chapel Hill.
TRW: Have you worked out with any NBA teams yet, and what teams do you plan on working out for?
DT: I’ve already been to Houston and Detroit. Coming up this week I’ll be going to the Bucks, then I believe I’ll be going to the Bobcats, then I’ll be going to the Knicks, and then there is a workout type of thing in New Jersey where I think 23 NBA teams come down there.
TRW: What are you hearing so far about your draft position, or is it too early to tell?
DT: Right now, just what I think, is somewhere in the second round. It all depends on how these workouts go and hopefully finding a team and somebody who likes you. I think that’s just the one thing that it takes is for someone to like you. It will just depend on how my workouts go and things like that.
TRW: Who do you compare your game to and who have you modeled your game after?
DT: David West, I really like his game a lot and what he is able to do. Paul Millsap. Those guys, guys like a Carlos Boozer type, just undersized forwards.
TRW: Are there any last things you would like to add or let your fans know that they probably don’t know about you?
DT: Just that God is a big influence in my life and a big motivational factor and I have a lot of confidence in myself because of him and he gives me a lot of comfort knowing that everything is going to be alright at the end of the day.
Loading ...