Gonzales' Thompson makes LSWA basketball squad

Gonzales native and former Dutchtown Griffin basketball star Christion Thompson was honored one final time last week as he was named to the 2020 Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Men’s College Basketball Team.

Thompson, a senior guard from Tulane, was named to the third team.

The former Griffin has had quite the journey throughout his basketball career.

He started off at Dutchtown. He played his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore and quickly emerged as one of the better players in the parish. He ended that year making second-team All-District 5-5A.

But it was as a junior when he had his breakout season.

Thompson spearheaded a tremendous playoff run for the Griffins that led them to the state quarterfinals. Sixth-seeded Dutchtown came just short of making it to the state tournament, falling to Thibodaux, 56-54.

Thompson earned first-team all-district honors.

That offseason, Thompson made a move. He transferred from Dutchtown to Madison Prep.

Thompson became a starter on a loaded Charger squad that featured LSU signee Brandon Sampson. To no one's surprise, they dominated Louisiana high-school basketball that season.

Madison Prep went a perfect 34-0, en route to taking home the Class 1A state championship.

Thompson was named the Co-MVP of District 6-1A, along with Sampson. He was also second-team All-State.

Thompson went on to sign with Rhode Island. In his final season there, he averaged six points per game.

After graduating from Rhode Island, Thompson decided to transfer and finish out his final year of eligibility at Tulane.

He had a tremendous season with the Green Wave in 2020. Thompson led Tulane in rebounds, assists, steals and field-goal percentage.

Thompson was the only Green Wave player to start all 30 regular-season games, and he was also second on the team in scoring.

His 15.3 points per game during conference play led Tulane.

Overall, Thompson finished the year averaging 14 points, six rebounds and three assists per contest.

He said that his favorite moment in the season was his first home game.

“Being able to play at my full ability and the coaches letting me play freely felt really good. I was able to look in the crowd and see my whole family there,” Thompson said. “That was a dream come true. I really wanted to have the opportunity to show my ability and talents in front of my family and that was the best feeling.”

Now with his collegiate career complete, Thompson said that he’s looking to hire an agent and see what opportunities lie ahead with the NBA, its G-League or even overseas.

Of course, that just got more complicated due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has forced the NBA to suspend all operations and push back their draft to an unknown date.

Thompson is still optimistic, regardless of what happens with his basketball career.

“I have something a lot of college basketball players don't have and that's two degrees (kinesiology),” Thompson said. “With my bachelor's degree and now my master's degree from Tulane, I'm confident I can get a job in my field if that's what I want to do. What I bring to the table is more than just basketball.”