NCS Senior of the Year
BRETT THOMPSON, JAMES LOGAN
Once the North Coast Section Division I basketball championships were complete, one could only look back in awe at the path carved by James Logan senior Brett Thompson.
In a stretch of three games to reach the title game, Thompson dazzled with a post-season show rarely seen. The MVP of the Mission Valley Athletic League carried the Colts past a gritty Napa team in the first round, scoring 24 points to help down the VVAL champion Grizzlies, 85-76. Four days later, Logan needed every ounce of Thompson’s effort in a quarterfinal battle with Monte Vista, and he delivered with a 27-point, six-rebound performance during a 63-58 victory.
The success continued again in the semifinals, as Thompson let loose a 23-point, six-rebound effort against Dublin, an improbable victory which occurred when Tim Oldham’s buzzer-beating 30-footer fell through the net, but made possible after another huge performance from the Colts’ floor general.
“Brett is a very skilled ball handler, an exceptional passer, a player with exception court vision and the ability to create off the dribble in transition,” said James Logan coach Mel Easley. “He can also control the tempo of a game on both sides of the floor, and as much as it sounds like a cliché, he really is one of those players who makes other players around him better.”
Thompson demonstrated that final trait in the CIF NorCal regional playoffs, still scoring in double figures, but doing whatever was needed for success. He was right at his season average in the state tournament, averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game during wins over Folsom, Bishop O’Dowd and Branson to reach the CIF Division I state final. His trio of shots from beyond the arc helped trigger the regional final victory over Branson, as did his willingness to grind on the defensive end in a slower paced contest.
“He is just the ultimate competitor, the kid who gives 100 percent of his focus and effort to every competition, and his teammates and opponents know it,” Easley added. “He is a very smart basketball player with super potential, someone who just plays the game at a high level, shoots the ball with remarkable confidence, and makes it a challenge to find anyone who is willing to outwork him in the gym.”
The other amazing trait about Thompson during his senior year, as he led the Colts to a league title, was his consistency each night on the court. He scored in double figures in nearly every game. One such occasion when he did not was during a six-point game against Mission San Jose in which he converted on his only two field goal attempts and chose instead to distribute to teammates, notching seven assists.
All of it added up to a season which garnered respect from throughout Northern California, but none more so than in his own backyard.
“Brett was definitely one of NorCal’s top Division I point guards this year, and was also James Logan’s Athlete of the Year,” Easley concluded. “He has the drive, the competitiveness and the skill set to play at the college level, and any program at any level will benefit from having him on their roster.”
For his efforts throughout the season, we are pleased to recognize Brett Thompson as the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Senior of the Year.
Other players considered include San Leandro’s Keshad Johnson, De La Salle’s Thomas Gregorios and Bishop O’Dowd’s William Chavarin.
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