Recruiting Update – Elijah Thompson (2027 Southridge)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The maturation of [player_tooltip player_id='2026058' first='Elijah' last='Thompson'] continues and this off-season was a good one for the Southridge rising junior. Playing with Select Basketball out of Idaho, the floor leader had the opportunity to play club hoops during the spring and summer, against top-level competition on the NXTPRO Circuit but also getting to do it while continuing to develop his game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"With (College of Idaho's) Colby (Blaine) being a college coach and it was a good experience because he's really helped me shape my game, shape my leadership, being a point guard out there," Thmpson said. "So it was a really good experience, and learning from him has taught me a lot. I worked on just getting to the rim more and getting to my shots with physicality, and just being able to play through contact a lot - playing in AAU, you gotta play through it a lot. It's helped me and I know I'll translate it to high school."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing with Select Basketball also got Thompson the opportunity to play in front of college coaches. He notes that he's already been hearing from a number of D-II schools from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and some D-I programs such as Northern Colorado and Portland State have been in touch and want to come to watch his games this upcoming season. He's keeping things open while having an idea what he's looking for in a school and program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I'm looking for a team that really, I would say, I don't wanna say fits with my style but I would say more of just that compliments me through the way they coach and the way they play," Thompson said. "And me just being able to jump in and not necessarily playing instantly, but being able to figure it out very well. And not just going to a dream school, but a school that I fit in."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since he's just entering his junior season, Thompson isn't sweating his recruitment too much but instead looking forward to 2025-26 with his teammates. "It was really good with Ryder transferring over - it's a good addition, we needed a big," Thompson said. "And Drew (Groenig) coming back, Nikko (Kalish) coming back, Julius (Vesel) coming back, all our guys - I feel like we have a strong core, and we've been playing together for a very long time. We're really excited to play and get started."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As for expectations? They are clear. "I definitely want to get back to the Chiles Center for sure," Thompson said. "Definitely win a couple games down there this year and win Metro for sure. We gotta get it done this year."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->