Head Coach Scott Padgett on Thompson
ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL
“Alex is a 6-foot-8 guy, who plays the power forward position and can stretch the floor. He’s actually very similar to his coach. He plays with a lot of confidence and believes in his game. He’s funny, but he’s more undercover funny, like he’ll get you with those quick little jabs. He understands the game of basketball extremely well. He knows where he’s supposed to be and what he’s supposed to do. He talks and communicates well on the court and that is huge for a team.”
DURING HIS TIME AT SAMFORD
“He’s done a really good job here lately of learning that if you want to be a leader, you have to be consistent. If you’re doing the right thing all the time, or attempting to do the right thing all the time, then when somebody else messes up, you can say something to him. If one day you’re up and the other day you’re down, then when you say something to somebody else, it doesn’t hold the weight. It’s Alex’s personality to be a vocal leader, and with a little more consistency, I’d say he’s well on his way to being that for us.”
Junior (2016-17): Earned playing time in all 36 games and started in 33 outings for the Bulldogs . . . averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range . . . closed out the season ranked second on the team with an 80.3-percent tally from the free throw line . . . posted career-highs in points (35) and assists (11) against The Citadel on Feb. 25 . . . finished the season with four 20-point outings and proved to be one of only 15 players in the Southern Conference to score at least 30 points in a game . . . tallied two double-doubles on the season; 35 points and 11 rebounds versus The Citadel (Feb. 25) and 10 points and 11 rebounds versus Furman in the SoCon Tournament (March 4) . . . played a key role in the Bulldogs finishing the season ranked first in the SoCon in defensive rebounds per game (26.5), free throws made (645) and total rebounds (154) . . . Samford also closed out the year ranked No. 4 in the nation in free throw attempts (868), No. 17 in assists (581) and No. 18 in 3-point field-goal percentage (39.5) . . . drained a season-high six 3-point baskets at home against Western Carolina on Feb. 2 . . . proved to be one of five Samford players last season to average at least 8.2 points per game . . . earned his first varsity letter as a Bulldog.
Redshirt (2015-16): Transferred to Samford from Auburn University and was forced to redshirt the season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Sophomore (2014-15): In his second season at Auburn University, he played in 23 games for Head Coach Bruce Pearl and averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest . . . scored a career-high 16 points in the Tigers’ opening-round Southeastern Conference Tournament victory over Mississippi State . . . turned in a 6-of-7 shooting performance against the Bulldogs, including a perfect 3-for-3 outing from 3-point range . . . tallied a career-best two blocks and three rebounds in regular-season finale against Georgia . . . scored two points and added four rebounds at Texas A&M . . . finished with three points and five rebounds against LSU . . . tallied seven points and three rebounds (all on the defensive end) versus Florida . . . against Winthrop, he matched his career high in points (8) and grabbed a career-best six rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
Freshman (2013-14): In his first season at Auburn University, he played in 20 games and averaged 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per contest . . . a total of 12 of his 24 field-goal attempts (50 percent) came from 3-point range . . . started his collegiate career as a walk-on, but was awarded a scholarship prior to the game at Tennessee . . . pulled down four rebounds and added a career-high two assists against Mississippi State . . . grabbed a career-high five rebounds against Kentucky . . . scored five points on 2-of-6 shooting at LSU while also grabbing a career-high four rebounds . . . notched a career-best three steals at South Carolina . . . handed out a career-high two assists at Mississippi State . . . registered a career game against Missouri, coming off the bench to score eight points on 3-of-4 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range), two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes . . . first career field goal was a 3-pointer that gave Auburn a 21-19 lead with 7:10 to go in the first half against Missouri . . . scoreless in eight minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, grabbing a rebound . . . scoreless in eight minutes at Iowa State, grabbing a rebound . . . saw his first action of the season against Jacksonville State, scoring one point in nine minutes . . . came off the bench to pull down three rebounds in nine minutes of the exhibition win over Victory.
High School: Played at Houston Academy for the 2012-13 season . . . Dothan Eagle Player of the Year . . . Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 2A Player of the Year . . . one of three finalists for Alabama Mr. Basketball . . . scored over 2,000 points in his high school career . . . averaged 25.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 steals per game at Houston Academy . . . his 25.0 points per game was tops among all 2A all-state candidates and his 12.8 rebounds were second-most . . . helped Houston finish the year 25-7, advancing to the regional postseason tournament . . . Third-Team Class 5A All-State selection out of Jensen Beach, Fla., after averaging 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for Jenson Beach High School in 2011-12 . . . averaged 20.6 points and 9.3 rebounds as a sophomore . . . academic all-state.
Personal: Son of Paul and Cecilia Thompson . . . majoring in political science.
