Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes. YSU fifth-year guard Brett Thompson handles the ball and drives while being defended by Wright State’s Trey Calvin during the Penguins’ game against the Raiders on Jan. 12

YOUNGSTOWN — Growing up in Oakland, California, fifth-year guard Brett Thompson never expected that he would end up where he is now at Youngstown State.

“There were a lot of good things and a lot of bad things going on,” Thompson said of his formative years in Oakland. “So I was just trying to keep my head on the right path, and I feel like my family helped me do that.”

Thompson began his basketball career at Mountain House High School, where he averaged 14.6 points per game as a sophomore. However, due to some issues, he ended up transferring to James Logan High School in Union City, California, to begin his junior season.

“I didn’t really start taking basketball seriously until my junior year when I transferred to James Logan,” Thompson said.

Due to transferring, he had to sit out that year, but it allowed him the time to work on his game.

As a senior, Thompson showed what he could do. He averaged 15 points, five rebounds and three steals per game while helping lead James Logan to the Mission Valley Athletic League and Northern California Division I Region titles.

Despite the success he had his senior season, Thompson didn’t know whether or not he even wanted to play basketball in college.

“But then seeing how well we did my senior year, I kind of figured I had a shot to go D-1,” Thompson said.

But first, Thompson had to go junior college to work on his grades if he wanted to chase his newfound dream of playing at the Division I level. He started off at Sheridan College (Wyo.), and also played at Pensacola State College (Fla.) and Mineral Area College (Mo.), before finally reaching Division I basketball at Tennessee Tech, where he averaged 12.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game for a 16-17 Golden Eagles team last season.

“I took the junior college route because I didn’t take school that seriously,” Thompson said. “I ended up going to Sheridan College and I just balled out there. Ever since, it’s just been a hell of a journey.”

Throughout all of the trials and tribulations, Thompson always had that one thing to keep him motivated and moving forward — his family, which includes his son and two twin daughters.

“I play for all three of my kids,” Thompson said. “Ever since they came into my life, I really changed my mindset. I just want to make sure they’re taken care of and they don’t have to worry for nothing.”

Still, balancing being a father along with the rigors of being a full-time student athlete hasn’t been easy.

“In a way, it is hard sometimes but you gotta just get in the gym and really lock in on what you’re doing it for and just find your ‘why'” Thompson said.

After his breakout year at Tennessee Tech, Thompson put his name into the transfer portal, and the calls and offers started rolling in.

It was a new experience for him because he never really had that kind of recruiting process coming out of high school.

“I had a lot of options,” Thompson said. “When I hit the portal, it was everything I wanted since high school — just getting all those phone calls from high majors, mid-majors, and just embracing that.”

But even with all the offers, it didn’t take Thompson long to settle on YSU.

“They were actually the only visit I took,” Thompson said. “When I took my visit, I was talking to Coach (Jerrod) Calhoun and everything just felt right. I came and saw the gym — it wasn’t too big and it wasn’t too small, but I didn’t really care about the size of the gyms and stuff. For me, it was just (all about) the coaching staff and the coach.”

His journey has taken him far and wide, but Thompson knows YSU is where he’s supposed to be, having thrived this season for a Penguins team that is chasing its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

As the team’s third leading scorer, Thompson has been one of the primary reasons that the Penguins find themselves in the position they’re in.

YSU is alone in second place in the Horizon League, a game behind first-place Oakland, while the team has also eclipsed the 20-win mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1963-1964 and 1964-1965 and the first time ever as a Division I program.

“He can play with the basketball in his hands, out of pick and rolls, he can play in isolations, we can play him off the ball. So he has some versatility, whether he plays the point or combo guard for us,” Calhoun said of Thompson. “He has a knack for scoring the basketball. He’ll take and make some big shots, he’s fearless at getting to the rim, playing in transition and really forcing the tempo. He’s a good on-ball defender with pressuring the basketball. He’s done a lot for us.”

With the Penguins, Thompson has become known for that aggressive style of play. He helps YSU push the pace of the game up and down the floor, but he also doesn’t hesitate to attack teams off the dribble and drive to the basket.

“It comes from back home just playing outside in the park all the time with all the older guys,” Thompson said of his aggressiveness. “I was only 12 years old playing with guys who were 17 or 18. They always want to block your shot, so you always want to go make a basket on them.”

After coming off the bench the first five games of the year, Thompson has started all 25 games since and has averaged 12.8 points and 4.1 assists per game this season for YSU.

Thompson has shown the propensity for explosive scoring nights, as well. During a three-game homestand in mid-January, Thompson scored at least 20 points in three straight games. He then replicated that feat a couple weeks ago, which included a season-high 27-point performance against Robert Morris.

“I just stayed in the gym and had the confidence in myself to hit the type of shots that I take,” Thompson said. “I take tough, crazy shots sometimes, but it’s just what I do. I know how to make those because I put in the work for it.”

As Thompson and the Penguins head into the final week of the regular season, they all have their sights set on finishing strong Wednesday against Detroit Mercy in order to continue their momentum heading into the Horizon League conference tournament in March.

“We’ve been talking about treating this little stretch like Indy because you have to win three games to get in,” Thompson said. “So right now, we’re 2-0 (after wins over Milwaukee and Green Bay), so now we just have one more job to handle.”

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