Quick Hitters: Analyzing the Gianni Thompson Commitment
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College men’s basketball landed its first commit of the 2021 cycle on Sunday: Gianni Thompson, a three-star from Brimmer and May School. The local product, ranked 31st nationally among all Class of 2021 power forwards, chose BC over the likes of Penn State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Providence, and Temple.
In an interview with The Boston Globe, Thompson said that he always wanted to play for the Eagles when he was a kid. They’re his hometown team, and he’s played his high school ball just minutes away from the Chestnut Hill campus. Now, he’s committed to the program.
Here are some takeaways from Thompson’s recruitment and what it means for BC:
What kind of player are the Eagles getting?
Thompson is a 6-foot-8 power forward who is not only a versatile defender, but also a threat on the offensive end of the floor. He can score at all three levels, face up a defender in the post, score with his back to the basket, and pull up from both mid-range and beyond the arc.
His outside shot is particularly intriguing, because—aside from Illinois State transfer Teddy Hawkins, who only played eight games for the Eagles in 2017-18—BC hasn’t had a four with a smooth shooting stroke in quite a while. Jairus Hamilton and Kamari Williams, both of whom primarily played the three this past season, caught fire from deep at times but neither posted a 3-point percentage higher than 28.1%. As a whole, the Eagles shot just 30.8% from downtown in 2019-20, ranking 302nd nationally in the sharpshooting department, despite averaging the 95th-most 3-point attempts in the country (23.3 per game).
Thompson’s shot has a high release point, a good habit for a player who will surely be matched up against much bigger bodies in college than he was in high school. While the Dorchester resident has a nice frame, he weighs just 205 pounds. To put that in perspective, Steffon Mitchell (also 6-foot-8) was listed at 220 pounds for the 2019-20 season. Thompson’s weight isn’t necessarily a concern, however, it is something to monitor as he prepares for his college career. Part of what makes his outside game so effective is his ability to drive to the hole.
Thompson also plays for the Mass Rivals AAU team. If that sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve probably heard it before. Future teammates DeMarr Langford Jr. and Justin Vander Baan—both Class of 2020 recruits—as well as Makai Ashton-Langford, all played for the club.
Should fans be excited about the commitment?
Yes. There’s no doubt that Thompson’s commitment is a win for Jim Christian and Scott Spinelli. After all, the Eagles were competing with a Penn State program that spent most of the 2019-20 season inside the AP Top 25, a Virginia Tech team that’s just two years removed from a Sweet Sixteen appearance, and Xavier—a Jesuit program that has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances since BC last took part in March Madness (2008-09).
But this is the kind of commitment Eagles fans should grow to expect. That is, if the program is going to be consistently competitive in the ACC.
“Being able to say that I can play for my hometown school and put on the BC jersey is a really good feeling,” Thompson told The Boston Globe. “The feeling of playing in the ACC, against really big schools, and then seeing my family after is amazing.”
Those are all selling points for BC’s staff. And it’s reasoning like this that led star running back AJ Dillon to flip his commitment from Michigan and join BC’s football team back in 2016.
Thompson is set to become just the second Massachusetts recruit to play for Christian at BC. Going on his seventh year as the Eagles’ head coach, Christian has technically pulled only one other player from the Bay State: Vander Baan. Keep in mind, even though the Langford brothers are Worcester natives, they are classified as New Hampshire recruits since they went to Brewster Academy. The last Massachusetts recruit to play meaningful minutes for the Eagles? Dennis Clifford, who was part of BC’s 2011 recruiting class.
The state has produced a handful of notable playmakers since then, and in recent years, BC has missed out on some impactful recruits arguably within reach, such as Wabissa Bede (Virginia Tech), Hasahn French (St. Louis), and David Duke (Providence)—all of whom received ratings comparable to Jairus Hamilton and DeMarr Langford Jr., and were in BC’s backyard. Christian and Co. didn’t even offer the latter two, according to the Rivals database.
BC isn’t going to scoop up every marquee in-state recruit—it’s not like Massachusetts is a recruiting hotbed anyway—and obviously it’s important to extend beyond the East Coast to acquire talent (think Craig Smith-Jared Dudley-Sean Marshall in California and Jerome Robinson-Ky Bowman-Jairus Hamilton in North Carolina). Yet the program should strive to be seen as a legitimate suitor by in-state recruits, considering it’s the only Power Five school in Massachusetts. Whether or not BC attains that status can be used as another measure of the program’s success, or lack thereof.
The Eagles are trending in the right direction, though. First Vander Baan, now Thompson.
What does this commitment mean for the program?
If the 2020-21 season happens and the Eagles underwhelm, Christian will probably be on his way out, especially with new athletic director Pat Kraft in town. And, if that happens, it’s reasonable to expect another wave of transfers, something Eagles fans are already accustomed to (12 BC players recruited by Christian have transferred away from the program).
Having Thompson in the fold would help soften the blow, assuming he doesn’t flip his commitment. The power forward has improved each season at Brimmer and, this past year, put up an average of 19 points and nine rebounds as a junior in NEPSAC Class AA play.
He’s got the intangibles and the motivation to represent his hometown, a potentially fruitful combo for any budding recruit.
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College men’s basketball landed its first commit of the 2021 cycle on Sunday: Gianni Thompson, a three-star from Brimmer and May School. The local product, ranked 31st nationally among all Class of 2021 power forwards, chose BC over the likes of Penn State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Providence, and Temple.
In an interview with The Boston Globe, Thompson said that he always wanted to play for the Eagles when he was a kid. They’re his hometown team, and he’s played his high school ball just minutes away from the Chestnut Hill campus. Now, he’s committed to the program.
Here are some takeaways from Thompson’s recruitment and what it means for BC:
What kind of player are the Eagles getting?
Thompson is a 6-foot-8 power forward who is not only a versatile defender, but also a threat on the offensive end of the floor. He can score at all three levels, face up a defender in the post, score with his back to the basket, and pull up from both mid-range and beyond the arc.
His outside shot is particularly intriguing, because—aside from Illinois State transfer Teddy Hawkins, who only played eight games for the Eagles in 2017-18—BC hasn’t had a four with a smooth shooting stroke in quite a while. Jairus Hamilton and Kamari Williams, both of whom primarily played the three this past season, caught fire from deep at times but neither posted a 3-point percentage higher than 28.1%. As a whole, the Eagles shot just 30.8% from downtown in 2019-20, ranking 302nd nationally in the sharpshooting department, despite averaging the 95th-most 3-point attempts in the country (23.3 per game).
Thompson’s shot has a high release point, a good habit for a player who will surely be matched up against much bigger bodies in college than he was in high school. While the Dorchester resident has a nice frame, he weighs just 205 pounds. To put that in perspective, Steffon Mitchell (also 6-foot-8) was listed at 220 pounds for the 2019-20 season. Thompson’s weight isn’t necessarily a concern, however, it is something to monitor as he prepares for his college career. Part of what makes his outside game so effective is his ability to drive to the hole.
Thompson also plays for the Mass Rivals AAU team. If that sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve probably heard it before. Future teammates DeMarr Langford Jr. and Justin Vander Baan—both Class of 2020 recruits—as well as Makai Ashton-Langford, all played for the club.
Should fans be excited about the commitment?
Yes. There’s no doubt that Thompson’s commitment is a win for Jim Christian and Scott Spinelli. After all, the Eagles were competing with a Penn State program that spent most of the 2019-20 season inside the AP Top 25, a Virginia Tech team that’s just two years removed from a Sweet Sixteen appearance, and Xavier—a Jesuit program that has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances since BC last took part in March Madness (2008-09).
But this is the kind of commitment Eagles fans should grow to expect. That is, if the program is going to be consistently competitive in the ACC.
“Being able to say that I can play for my hometown school and put on the BC jersey is a really good feeling,” Thompson told The Boston Globe. “The feeling of playing in the ACC, against really big schools, and then seeing my family after is amazing.”
Those are all selling points for BC’s staff. And it’s reasoning like this that led star running back AJ Dillon to flip his commitment from Michigan and join BC’s football team back in 2016.
Thompson is set to become just the second Massachusetts recruit to play for Christian at BC. Going on his seventh year as the Eagles’ head coach, Christian has technically pulled only one other player from the Bay State: Vander Baan. Keep in mind, even though the Langford brothers are Worcester natives, they are classified as New Hampshire recruits since they went to Brewster Academy. The last Massachusetts recruit to play meaningful minutes for the Eagles? Dennis Clifford, who was part of BC’s 2011 recruiting class.
The state has produced a handful of notable playmakers since then, and in recent years, BC has missed out on some impactful recruits arguably within reach, such as Wabissa Bede (Virginia Tech), Hasahn French (St. Louis), and David Duke (Providence)—all of whom received ratings comparable to Jairus Hamilton and DeMarr Langford Jr., and were in BC’s backyard. Christian and Co. didn’t even offer the latter two, according to the Rivals database.
BC isn’t going to scoop up every marquee in-state recruit—it’s not like Massachusetts is a recruiting hotbed anyway—and obviously it’s important to extend beyond the East Coast to acquire talent (think Craig Smith-Jared Dudley-Sean Marshall in California and Jerome Robinson-Ky Bowman-Jairus Hamilton in North Carolina). Yet the program should strive to be seen as a legitimate suitor by in-state recruits, considering it’s the only Power Five school in Massachusetts. Whether or not BC attains that status can be used as another measure of the program’s success, or lack thereof.
The Eagles are trending in the right direction, though. First Vander Baan, now Thompson.
What does this commitment mean for the program?
If the 2020-21 season happens and the Eagles underwhelm, Christian will probably be on his way out, especially with new athletic director Pat Kraft in town. And, if that happens, it’s reasonable to expect another wave of transfers, something Eagles fans are already accustomed to (12 BC players recruited by Christian have transferred away from the program).
Having Thompson in the fold would help soften the blow, assuming he doesn’t flip his commitment. The power forward has improved each season at Brimmer and, this past year, put up an average of 19 points and nine rebounds as a junior in NEPSAC Class AA play.
He’s got the intangibles and the motivation to represent his hometown, a potentially fruitful combo for any budding recruit.
