I have a question for the board about a former sycamore that died tragically at a young age. His name was Kevin Thompson. While growing up and going to THS games with my family all I heard about from my dad and some older fans was how great Kevin Thompson was. I know he was the leader on those great late seventies THS teams and was all set at ISU but passed away from cancer very early in his career there and wasnt healthy long before that. My dad always said had he not gotten sick he would have been a huge difference maker for the trees and in a lot of ways his death dealt a huge blow to the sycamores. My dad made him out to be outstanding but he tends to exagerate sometimes so i thought I would ask the board. How good was Kevin Thompson?? Would he have been potentially great?? What are your memories of him ??
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A little help from older sycamore fans
- Thread starter Derek
- Start date
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a very good player.....
no larry bird, for sure. but he would have been the next best thing. big, tall, could run the court and he was local. iu, purdue, several other bg 10 schools wanted him. but he died before ever playing a game for the sycamores.
he broke a rib the summer before school started and it never would heal correctly. he was sent to a doctor who discovered the cancer. he died shortly thereafter.
he could have been the foundation on which the post-bird isu program would have been built.
no larry bird, for sure. but he would have been the next best thing. big, tall, could run the court and he was local. iu, purdue, several other bg 10 schools wanted him. but he died before ever playing a game for the sycamores.
he broke a rib the summer before school started and it never would heal correctly. he was sent to a doctor who discovered the cancer. he died shortly thereafter.
he could have been the foundation on which the post-bird isu program would have been built.
Daveinth
The Wade Level
Kevin Still has Family in the Area . If I recall Kevin was named one of the top atheletes in the wabash vally by the Tribstar when they ran their list back in 1999 when everyone was running their top 100 list . Great kid great family . I am friends with his older brother . Recently Terre Houte South did something to honor him I think they retired his number . Kevin would have been a Sycamore great for sure . His loss of life was terrible .
I can echo what the others have said. Losing Kevin Thompson set the ISU program back years, and as it turns out, we never recovered from it. As Tom said, he was the foundation on which post-Bird ISU was to be built.
If you can, get the South yearbooks from 77, 78, and 79 and read about those teams from the perspective of the students who were there. It's some really interesting reading. You won't be disappointed...
:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:
If you can, get the South yearbooks from 77, 78, and 79 and read about those teams from the perspective of the students who were there. It's some really interesting reading. You won't be disappointed...
:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:
I've posted several times on this and the other board about Kevin Thompson. He was kind of a late bloomer but by his senior year at THS he was a very, very good player. Decent quickness, unselfish, a developing shot and an excellent vetical wrapped up in a solid 6'8" body. He would have been terrific player. Couple of side notes ...R.J. Mahurins dad (and coach) was Kevin's teammate at Terre Haute South. The summer before Kevin's freshman year he broke an arm (or leg - can't recall) while working construction and his cancer was discovered when the bone wouldn't heal properly. A benefit game was played at H.C. to help defray his medical costs. A sold out game featured Bird, his Celtic teammate Rick Robey and (if my memory isn't failing me) Billy Keller and Rick Mount...Kevin attended and looked very frail. If I remember correctly Bird was active in the recruiting of Kevin. BTW, he was a great kid too.
Missed your post TJ...it was a rib he broke. He was a terrific kid.
Missed your post TJ...it was a rib he broke. He was a terrific kid.
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Hey TJ, Do you recall the benefit game at HC? I was trying to recall who played, but I'm afraid my memory is started to play tricks on me....
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btisu22
The Varsity Level
I've posted about Kevin several times on both of the ISU boards about how losing him set us back and may have cost Hodges his job in the long run! I remember after he said he was going to State he would get a standing O for walking into Hulman Center....May have been while he was sick.
S
sycamore fan
Guest
I guess I qualify as an old-timer here.
It's really nice to hear people remember Kevin and what a great player he was. I think he was South's best player ever, but that is always up for debate. (David Conrady is another great South grad that you don't hear much about)
Kevin's loss doomed the Sycamore program after the Bird-era. Most of the ISU expectations were placed firmly in his basket. While it's not fair to ever expect anyone to replace a Larry Bird, those were the expectations of that era for Kevin.
However, his loss was felt throughout the Terre Haute community in places much more important than just the basketball court. Kevin was a wonderful person from a great family; he is still deeply missed.
It's really nice to hear people remember Kevin and what a great player he was. I think he was South's best player ever, but that is always up for debate. (David Conrady is another great South grad that you don't hear much about)
Kevin's loss doomed the Sycamore program after the Bird-era. Most of the ISU expectations were placed firmly in his basket. While it's not fair to ever expect anyone to replace a Larry Bird, those were the expectations of that era for Kevin.
However, his loss was felt throughout the Terre Haute community in places much more important than just the basketball court. Kevin was a wonderful person from a great family; he is still deeply missed.