Best Indiana Men’s Basketball Players Of The 2020s So Far: No. 2 Race Thompson

Race Thompson was never Indiana’s leading scorer or rebounder, but he was steady in a decade that didn’t have much stability.

Indiana Hoosiers forward Race Thompson (25) grabs a rebound against the Xavier Musketeers in the first half at Cintas Center. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Former Indiana forward Race Thompson might seem an unlikely choice to take the No. 2 spot among Indiana basketball players of the 2020s.

In a career that encompassed four seasons in the decade, Thompson never led the Hoosiers in scoring or in rebounds. His years coincided with Trayce Jackson-Davis’, and Thompson was certainly in Jackson-Davis’s shadow like the rest of the Hoosiers.

And yet Thompson is a study in the benefit of being steady. He may not have led Indiana in any core categories, but he was never far from the top. From the time Thompson became a starter in the 2020-21 season, he was a dependable player for two different coaches.

That’s born out in the tale of the tape. While Thompson had the 13th-best scoring average of the players who qualified for inclusion, he was second in win share total (11.4, one of only two players who reached double digits), win share peak (4.3) and starts (91).

The son of former University of Minnesota running back legend Darrell Thompson, who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Race Thompson goes back a ways in his association with the Hoosiers.

He was the first player secured by then-new coach Archie Miller in the summer of 2017. He sat out a season as a redshirt before he began playing in 2018.

By the 2020-21 season, Thompson became a starter and began to show what he could do.

In Miller’s final season, Thompson averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. Along with Jackson-Davis, Thompson was the only other Hoosier to start every game. But Indiana went 12-15 and Indiana moved on from Miller and hired Mike Woodson as coach.

Woodson believed in Thompson and kept him in the starting lineup. Thompson had his finest season in 2022 as he averaged 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds, nearly edging Jackson-Davis for the team lead in rebounds. For his efforts, Thompson was honorable mention All-Big Ten.

Thompson slipped a bit in 2023 to 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. He got hurt in an early Big Ten game at Iowa, missed four games and struggled to regain his productive consistency until very late in the season.

Although point guard Xavier Johnson missed far more games in 2023, one can make an argument that Thompson’s injury was at least as impactful on Indiana’s season. The Hoosiers only won one game when he wasn’t in the lineup, and all of the losses were in Big Ten play, including the defeat at Iowa on the night he was injured.

Thompson played well in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds in games against Kent State and Miami.

Thompson might not have some of the peaks hit by some of the other players in the top 16, but he didn’t have many valleys either and demonstrated his ability over multiple seasons. For that reason, Thompson rose to No. 2 among Indiana’s best players of the 2020s.

Previous men's basketball top 16 players of the 2020s

No. 3 - Kel'El Ware
No. 4 - Jalen Hood-Schifino
No. 5 - Malik Reneau
No. 6 - Trey Galloway
No. 7 - Oumar Ballo
No. 8 - Mackenzie Mgbako
No. 9 - Al Durham
No. 10 - Miller Kopp
No. 11 - Xavier Johnson
No. 12 - Justin Smith
No. 13 - Rob Phinisee
No. 14 - Luke Goode
No. 15 - Devonte Green
No. 16 - Anthony Leal

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