Tristan Thompson, SF

Thompson's career at Texas was very brief, but he is used to not spending enough time in one place to allow his mail to catch up to him.

His basketball trek began at St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, where he played as a freshman. After driving from his hometown of Brampton twice to visit a prep school in the United States, he decided on attending Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey for his sophomore year, along with fellow The University of Texas commit Myck Kabongo. He cited the increase in exposure and skill level as his reason for transferring schools.

Thompson went on to spend his sophomore and half his junior year at St. Benedict's, making an immediate impact and showing flashes of brilliance throughout the way. Through his short time at St. Benedict's, he shot through the ranks to superstardom, becoming the top recruit in the nation entering his junior season.

After being heavily sought after by the top basketball programs in the nation, he took advantage of his new found status as the number one recruit and officially sealed it with the first verbal commitment of the class of 2010 to Rick Barnes and the Texas Longhorns on March 4, 2008.

Twenty-one games into his junior season, the relationship between Thompson and then-St. Benedict's coach-Dan Hurley hit a rough patch. Reports indicated that Hurley's in-your-face, no holds barred coaching style took a toll on the young star. During a game vs. then-top-ranked Mater Dei, Thompson, after getting into foul trouble, was confronted by Hurley during a time-out. A heated debate ensued, and Thompson was sent off the court and later removed from the team.

Thompson made it known that he was planning on leaving, resulting in a barrage of calls from the top prep schools throughout North America, all trying to acquire the top recruit's services. The next week, he had settled on and transferred to Findlay Prep with his friend and fellow AAU teammate, and current fellow Texas Longhorn, Cory Joseph.

Thompson joined Findlay on the back end of their schedule, making an immediate impact on the team and thriving under head coach Michael Peck's system and coaching style. He solidified his top recruit status, as well as helped lead Findlay to their first National Championship.

During his senior year, Thompson continued to round out his skills in preparation for college and continued to hold fast to his commitment to the University of Texas. He then succeeded in leading his team to another repeat as National Champions at the ESPN National Championship Invitational.

After his senior year, Thompson, along with teammate Cory Joseph, were the second and third Canadians to be named as McDonald's All-American, and he was also named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American. He totaled eight points with five rebounds in the McDonald's All-Star Classic, adding 19 points with 13 boards in 27 minutes of action in the Jordan Classic.

At the Nike Hoop Summit, Thompson logged 24 minutes on the court, long enough to make 5-of-6 field goals en route to a 14-point performance. Before suiting up for the Long-horns, he represented his country and Canada Basketball at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.

The left-handed post player has a tremendous wingspan (7 feet, 2 inches) and has made marked improvements to his body, shedding the baby fat he carried throughout high-school. His time was spent in the Texas weight room was well spent -- he added mass and definition and shows the potential to support even more weight without taking away from his explosiveness.

Professional scouts recognize that Thompson is long, athletic and has shown a terrific motor on both ends of the floor. While he's not as polished as some other top freshmen, he made an immediate impact in the Longhorns' frontcourt during the 2010-11 campaign, starting 34-of-36 games for Texas.

Thompson finished 24th in the nation with 86 blocked shots, a total that ranks fourth overall on the school season-record list. The only Texas freshman to ever block more shots was Chris Mihm (90; 1997-98). He logged 1,114 minutes on the court, finishing second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.08 points per game. He handed out 45 assists to go with 34 steals, as he also collected 282 rebounds.

Perhaps a product of his youth and inexperience, Thompson's performance was very erratic, as he was often in foul trouble. He led the Longhorns with 100 personal fouls and struggled to protect the ball. His 64 turnovers were the second-highest total by a Long-horn during the season.

Still, there were enough flashes of brilliance in Thompson's play to earn him several prestigious post-season honors. His teammate voted him the Longhorns' Most Valuable Player. He was one of five finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award, an honor given by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to the National Freshman of the Year.

The Big Twelve Conference Freshman of the Year, Thompson also earned first-team NABC All-District VIII and USBWA All-District VII honors. He led the team in rebounding, blocked shots (86), double-doubles (10) and field goal percentage (.546) and ranked second in scoring.

On April 22, Thompson joined Cory Joseph and Jordan Hamilton at a press conference, to announce that the trio were leaving the University of Texas and had applied for entry into the 2011 NBA Draft.

Positives: Has very good athletic skills and a 7-foot-2 wing span to help him compensate and excel as a shot blocker despite just adequate size for a power forward prospect … Gets good elevation and has shown marked improvement with his timing when going up to alter the shot) … Backs down from physical opponents going for the defensive rebound, but perhaps knowing he will get an opportunity for the putback or execute a big dunk, he gets quite a few rebounds on the offensive end … When his head is in the game, he will hustle for loose balls and his 34 steals last season were the result of active hands and reach … Has a very strong left hand, which he uses often when trying to score in the post and while more suited for a half court game, he has valid foot speed to get a fair share of looks operating in transition … Has to improve his upper body power, but he has the core strength to take charges and the lower body anchor to maintain position around the basket … For a player 6-foot-8 and only decent lateral agility, he knows how to "get small" to get to the rim … Shows very good quickness and elevation to get above the rim and block shots (had 86 blocks last season) … Better finisher in transition and you have to like the way he contorts his body and angles to get to the offensive rebound … Has the mobility, balance and long arms to get back and defend the basket … Versatility is one of his stronger suits, as he can play all three frontcourt positions … Is best when shooting around the basket, displaying a soft touch to convert short jumpers and hook shots … Has that long, gliding stride that makes him very effective driving to the basket after hauling in the quick lob pass … Has the loose hips to move well without the ball and the large, natural hands to grab the ball fed to him in the post … Good rebounder and shot blocker, as he keeps his hands high and active, showing a quick move with his lean frame to slip under or over the opponent … Will generally score when he gets the offensive rebound … Has the natural feel to make the one-handed feed, especially when elevating off the floor and firing at the basket at the high point of his leap … Has the touch and feel to make the difficult angle shots … Shows very good touch to finish at the rim … When he doesn't try to force his shot, he takes good angles to finish in and around the paint … Has the initial step off the floor to finish bounce passes with a strong dunk … Conscious of timing his leaps to get up to the rim for the put-backs and works well with his guards in running the floor smoothly in transition … Has the natural hands to catch the alley-oop passes and when he elevates, he shows a nice fingertip tip role shifting the ball to his left hand for the score … Can sail over the smaller opponents when running down court for the easy layups.

Negatives: Lacks the size you look for in a power forward, but can compensate a bit with his impressive wing span … More likely will be moved to small forward in the NBA, at least until his body fills out, but he could also be a liability there, as he is not a consistent shooter and has one of the worst spot-up shooting skills of any combo forward in this draft class … Was strangely utilized as a center for the Longhorns and that move prevented him from working on his mid-range shot … While he might not be the most explosive player on the court, his body is just not suited for one who was used in the post as often as he was last season … Lacks range and trajectory executing his jumper and there are concerns that he will not ever develop a strong perimeter game … Has been sort of a basketball "nomad," playing at three different high school and then stood just one year in college, not giving him much time to settle in and become acclimated with a system or get patient coaching his raw game obviously needs … For a forward, he just does too much fading back when taking his shot and this led to a lot of hoists that came with him being off-balanced … Has no confidence in his long range game (took no chances from the perimeter last year) … Plays with a lot of indifference when at the charity stripe, which is puzzling for a player that worked so hard to draw contact (made just 48.7 percent of his 261 free throws) … Has to spent quality hours in the gym with a shooting coach, as his mechanics are less than adequate (has a noticeable hitch in his jumper and poor footwork when executing those shots) … Looks like he's tossing the shot put when he unleashes the ball far above his head (needs to show better wrist action than just chucking the sphere) … Has to be more creative with the ball in his hands and once his rhythm is off, he will not only disappear later in games on the offensive game, but will make little effort on the defensive end … Gets most of his scoring accomplished on put-backs and dunks, as he is good at powering his way to the rim, he lacks counter moves and has become a bit predictable by rarely ever using his off-hand … Has to be more aggressive as an inside defender, as he tends to shy away from contact when an opponent drives on him … I have some issues with his basketball IQ, as he tries to take lots of low percentage shots, thinking he can just will the ball into the basket (lack of counter moves hurt his game) … .Gets caught holding on to the ball too long and then struggles to locate an open teammate (when he does, his passes will spray and lack direction).

Compares To: CHRIS BOSH, Miami Heat -- It is doubtful Thompson will develop an outside game. Since he dropped weight, took to a conditioning program that reduced high school baby fat and displays excellent athletic ability, good quickness and good elevation. He runs the court like a small forward and as his body develops might be useful in stretches at the 3 spot. He is an accurate shooter around the paint (made 54.6 percent of his field goals), but his perimeter shooting and free throw shooting need an overhaul. Until then, his overall scoring potential remains open to debate. He could have used another year at Texas but his athleticism will get him into the lottery if his potential shows up in face-to-face workouts with suitors.

--Dave Te' Thomas

Thompson earned Freshman All-American honors from The NBA Draft Report … The team MVP was a finalist for the Wayman Tisdale Award, an honor given by the USBWA to the National Freshman of the Year … Added Big Twelve Conference Freshman of the Year honors … Selected first-team NABC All-District VIII and USBWA All-District VII … Started 34-of-36 games for the Longhorns, leading the team in rebounding, blocked shots, double-doubles (10) and field goal percentage, as he also ranked second in scoring … Collected 471 points (13.08 ppg) behind 172-of-315 field goals (54.6 percent) and 127-of-261 free throws (48.7 percent) … Grabbed 282 rebounds (7.83 rpg), as he was credited with 45 assists (1.25 apg) and 34 steals (0.94 spg) … Also led the team with 100 personal fouls (one disqualification) and finished second on the team with 64 turnovers … Led the team in rebounding sixteen times and in scoring five times.

Thompson played just one season at Texas, starting 34-of-36 games for the Longhorns … He ranked 24th in the nation with 86 blocked shots during the 2010-11 campaign, a total that placed him fourth on the school season-record list … Just the fourth player in Texas annals to block more than 80 shots in a campaign, Chris Mihm (90 in 1997-98) is the only other freshman to have more blocks for Texas than Thompson's total … Others with at least 80 blocks in a season for UT were record-holder Chris Owens (92 in 2000-01), Mihm's 90 in 1999-2000 and 84 in 1998-99) and Connor Atchley's 80 in 2007-08.

Thompson spent his senior season and the last five games of his junior year at Findlay (Henderson, Nev.) Preparatory School, playing for head coach Michael Peck … Ranked as the tenth-best prospect nationally in the ESPNU100 following his senior season, as he was also named a McDonald's All-American and Jordan All-American … Averaged 15.9 points, a team-high 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a senior, as he converted 60.9 percent from the floor (184-of-302) while leading Findlay to a 32-2 record … Paced Findlay to three wins in three days (April 1-3) to capture the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational (NHSI) Championship for the second straight year … Earned a spot on the NHSI All-Tournament Team … Recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in Findlay's 59-46 victory over Montverde Academy in the ESPN Rise NHSI championship game … Played in the final five games of the year for Findlay during his junior season after transferring in February 2009 from St. Benedict's Prep Academy in New Jersey … Averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in those five contests while helping Findlay win the ESPN Rise NHSI title and claim the mythical high school national championship … Averaged 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest in 21 games as a junior at St. Benedict's … Played at St. Benedict's during his sophomore season and spent his freshman year at St. Marguerite d'Youville (Brampton, Ontario, Canada).

General Studies major … Cousin of current Virginia State University Trojan football standout Jemal Thompson … Oldest of four children of Andrea and Trevor Thompson … Born Tristan Trevor James Thompson on 3/13/91 in Toronto, Canada … Resides in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.