Tim Cone admits he has never seen a rebounding guard like Scottie Thompson
In his illustrious career as head coach in the PBA — 27 years and counting — the 19-time PBA champion head coach has seen numerous tenacious rebounders in the PBA. From Robert Jaworski and Jerry Condinera, to Asi Taulava and Marc Pingris, he has handled or played against almost the entire all-time greatest rebounders the league has ever seen.
However, he has never seen someone like second-year guard Scottie Thompson, whom he describes as one-of-a-kind.
Prior to turning pro, Scottie Thompson had been known as a walking triple-double machine in the collegiate scene, winning the MVP crown in the NCAA back in the 90th season of the league. However, only a handful expected him to reach the same numbers in the rebounding department in the big league.
But the 6-foot-1 Davaoeño is proving everyone wrong.
After averaging 8.3 rebounds during last season’s Governors Cup — an import-laden conference — Thompson is currently posting norms of 10.9 rebounds per outing this Philippine Cup. In back-to-back games, he grabbed 16 and 15 rebounds against Meralco and Blackwater respectively. The more he does it, the more it amazes Cone.
“Scottie was awesome again. He got us a little run back after they tied it, he got a couple of drives to the basket, he was rebounding again,” Cone remarked about Thompson, who tallied 13 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in Ginebra’s 99-90 win over the Elite.
“Even when he’s not rebounding the ball, it’s amazing that he seems to be always on the right place at the right time.”
In awe, the only player Cone has seen grab boards with the same tenacity as Thompson are Ginebra legend Sonny Jaworski, who is seventh in the all-time rebounding list with 5,367 boards, and Oklahoma Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
“He’s a few runs below Sonny Jaworski but I think in rebounding, they’re at par,” the 59-year-old mentor shared.
“I haven’t seen a rebounding guard like him even in the NBA.
“Westbrook obviously is a great rebounding guard,” he added.
Currently, Westbrook is leading the NBA in triple-doubles with 21. And Cone wouldn’t be surprised if someday, the former Perpetualite posts the same numbers.
“I don’t want to put pressure on Scottie but I think eventually, he could end up putting up Westbrook numbers once he learns how to score and be aggressive in that are,” Cone mused.
“I think that will open up the gate for him.”
