Deacs fill a position of need for 2017-18
Danny Manning and the Wake Forest basketball staff have filled a major position of need, landing grad transfer Terrence Thompson from Marshall.
We are happy to announce the addition of graduate transfer Terrence Thompson to our program.
— Wake Basketball (@WakeMBB) August 28, 2017
INFO: https://t.co/kPOKkJZsVg pic.twitter.com/izmKDCm9W1
Thompson is a 6-7, 215 pound power forward, and will almost certainly immediately start at that position.
For more on Thompson, be sure to check out our initial profile of him done last month after the announcement that Dinos Mitoglou would be going pro in Greece.
Thompson is originally from Durham, NC, and enrolled at UNC Charlotte for his freshman year. After not seeing any playing time for the 49ers, he transferred to Georgia Highlands Junior College, and then eventually wound up at Marshall for two years.
The first things that stick out with Thompson on the court are his high offensive rating (112), and his strong offensive and defensive rebounding numbers. He averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG, while primarily functioning as a typical power forward. Injuries last season held him back, so his numbers appear slightly lower. He does not possess the same stretch four capabilities as Mitoglou did, shooting just 7-24 (29%) from behind the arc on the season.
But with more athletic guards and wings who are also more than capable shooters, Wake really doesn’t need another stretch four for this season. Chaundee Brown, Keyshawn Woods, Bryant Crawford, Mitchell Wilbekin, and Brandon Childress are more than capable of spacing the floor. Having Thompson inside as another rebounder and big body is really exactly what the Deacs need at this point.
Last year Thompson had six games of ten rebounds or more, including three double-doubles. He is exactly the type of player we need to provide more depth and experience in the post alongside of Doral Moore, Sam Japhet-Mathias, and Olivier Sarr.
I would expect Thompson to start at the four and see about 25 minutes per game. This leaves only 15 minutes for Donovan Mitchell, Melo Eggleston, and Olivier Sarr to have to split at the 4, which is much more manageable than the full 40 they would have had to play had the staff not added Thompson.
It also means the staff will not have to burn a scholarship for one year on preferred walk-on Sunday Okeke. While Okeke will likely see a little bit of time, the Deacs now won’t have to rely on him for significant minutes as previously thought.
