Scottie Thompson will not wow anyone with his athleticism
He may not be the highest leaper nor be the most athletic on the court, but Scottie Thompson has makes sure that he works the hardest every game.
Now in his second year with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Thompson, who was known as Mr. Triple Double back in his collegiate days, has been the Gin Kings’ leading rebounder this season. And it’s a surprise statistic as he stands at 6-foot-1, at least seven inches shorter than let’s say Japeth Aguilar or Greg Slaughter.
Christmas evening, the 23-year-old notched a personal feat in Ginebra’s 86-79 win over the Star Hotshots, grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds against Star’s imposing frontline. With that tally, Thompson, who is now averaging 10.0 rebounds per game, joins big men June Mar Fajardo, Sean Anthony, and Raymond Almazan as the only cagers to average double-figures in rebounding this conference.
Thompson admitted that he did not notice that he was gobbling up rebounds left and right, only thinking about how important the game was for them.
“Hindi ko nga napansin. Gusto ko lang magkaroon ng second possession kami. Feeling ko makakalamang kami sa game na ‘yun,” the former King Altas shared as Ginebra outrebounded Star, 52-47.
“Talagang ginawa ko lang ‘yung best ko. 50-50 balls, tinitignan ko kung saan mapupunta kaya tumatakbo ako dun. Sakto lang siguro na napupunta sa akin ‘yung rebounds,” furthered Thompson.
“Dinaan ko lang sa sipag.”
But Ginebra’s back-up floor general is still not forgetting his bread and butter. He was able to dish out seven dimes in the game, majority of which helped Japeth Aguilar achieve his personal-high of 32 points. While his court vision is what got him to the league, the former NCAA MVP deflected the credit to his teammates.
“Credit naman sa mga kasama ko kasi ‘yun naman ang tinatrabaho namin sa practice. Every time na open, talagang gusto ni coach Tim [Cone] na itira,” the fifth pick in the 2015 Draft shared. “Lalo na si Japeth ngayon. Sobrang laking bagay kaya nagkaka-assist ako.”
And with Thompson making the leap in his second year, it’s safe to say that his role in Ginebra will be bigger as the season progresses.
