Smith-Cotton’s Thompson Signs With Illinois College

Smith-Cotton High School senior Matt Thompson has signed an agreement to compete in basketball at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill.

Thompson, the son of Cindy and John Thompson, has earned varsity letters in basketball and track as a freshman, sophomore and junior. In the 2019-20 basketball season he averaged 12.2 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.9 steals; he was named to the KMZU Dream Team, Class 5 Media All-District team and the 2020 McDonald’s S-C Classic All-Tournament team. In track last year, he earned Academic All-State recognition.

Thompson, who was named captain for the Tigers 2020-21 varsity basketball squad, said Illinois College and the Blueboys basketball program made him feel at home from the start.

“The campus was beautiful, that was the first thing I noticed. All the coaches were super nice right off the bat and they made me feel like they wanted me there,” Thompson said. “(The college has) my kinesiology major so I thought it was the perfect fit as soon as I stepped on campus."

S-C Boys Basketball Head Coach Michael Franklin said, “Matt has been working towards this since I first met him as a freshman. I am happy to see his hard work pay off. It has been a privilege to coach a young man like Matt. He will make the most out of this opportunity and I'm excited to see what the future holds for him."

In the photo: Smith-Cotton High senior basketball player Matt Thompson has signed an agreement to compete in basketball at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. Seated with him are his parents, Cindy and John Thompson; back, from left, are Smith-Cotton High Principal Wade Norton; S-C Boys Basketball Head Coach Michael Franklin, and S-C Athletic Director Rob Davis.