Homegrown 2021 Gopher MBB Commit, Treyton Thompson Chats w/Minnesota Sports Fan

Blessed to receive a offer from the University of Minnesota?#Gophers pic.twitter.com/4LIqRNK0Qg

— Treyton Thompson (@Treyton42) June 15, 2019

COMMITTED ‼️〽️ pic.twitter.com/O4jOQZ4jXA

— Treyton Thompson (@Treyton42) November 30, 2019

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Highlights of 2021 6'10 Forward Treyton Thompson (@Treyton42) from Alexandria playing for La Lumiere Prep (@LaLuBasketball)

Thompson, rencetly committed to the University of Minnesota. He's a 4 star prospect rated 90th Nationally.@NorthstarHoops @PrepHoops #Gophers pic.twitter.com/mFLav00EsG

— StreetHistory (Ryan S) (@streethistory) December 13, 2019

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On November 30th, 2019, Treyton Thompson (a 6 foot 10 inch 2021 high school Junior) verbally committed to the University of Minnesota. Thompson is ranked 79th by 24/7 Sports, 90th by Rivals, and is a concensus 4-Star Forward.

This summer, Thompson left the comfort of Alexandria, Minnesota, to join La Lumiere Prep in Indiana. The time there has already transformed him some, and as he says here, he plans to grow even more with the time he still has left.

This week I decided to message Thompson on Instagram, to see if he was willing to chat with me about his commitment to the Gophers and some other questions, surrounding his game. He was gracious and agreed to give me some time. Here’s our conversation:

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Q: First and foremost, congratulations on the commitment. What does it mean to you to be able to attend the University of Minnesota?

A: It’s awesome, being able to play in-front of my friends and family is huge for me.

Q: Recently you decided to transfer from Alexandria to La Lumiere Prep school. How is it different? The area looks pretty rural, is it like Alex there?

A: It’s very different, prep school is more independent and you can’t rely on your parents for everything like I could at Alex. The workouts are extremely intense and there aren’t shortcuts. Overall it’s getting me ready for college.

Q: I think I saw you’ve gain 14 pounds since being at La Lumiere Prep?

A: Yeah that was before the basketball season started, I’m now staying at around 190 give or take because how active I am with the basketball season. Once it ends again though I feel like I can put on 10-15 more after the season.

Q: You say workouts are more intense, what is it that La Lumiere is doing that’s different? Is it like workouts with your Howard Pulley AAU team?

A: Yeah our practices are on the college level, some coaches from colleges come in and are amazed how hard we work. Our practices are very defensive styled as our school is known for down right guarding and not letting teams score.

Q: As someone like me, I’ve seen you play 10-15 times, maybe even more, there’s probably a few who’ve never seen you play. Can you tell some people here in Minnesota, about your game, who are unfamiliar?

A: I’m a stretch 4 that can shoot the ball and put it on the floor. If I have a smaller guy on me, I’ll post up until they put a bigger guy on me. Then I’ll go back out to the wing and attack using my quickness.

Q: Have you noticed a difference in finishing and overall ability on the floor since putting on more weight since going to La Lumiere?

A: Yes, I noticed that I’ve gotten a higher IQ by being here, I feel more ready to take on bigger challenges in the future.

Q: Lastly, don’t want to make this too long. How is it now committed and knowing where you’re going to go? Has this changed the way you approach each game and workout?

A: Yeah. It gives me a little bit more freedom, and to play, because I love the game. I don’t worry about getting looks or anything like that, now I just go play to play.

Q: That’s got to be a good feeling. Again, congratulations on the big commitment. Still a lot of time for growth from now until 2021. Good luck with the season. I’ll be checking in from time from time to see you play. Thanks for the interview. I’ll shoot you a link when it’s up.

A: OK thanks.

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Ryan Schmidt | Minnesota Sports Fan