Video: Big man Hunter Thompson is Wyoming's best kept secret
Hunter Thompson (Pine Bluffs, WY) - Highlights Video: Hunter Thompson - Pine Bluffs (Wyo.)
See Wyoming's Player of the Year as a sophomore in action.
If Hunter Thompson was a big market guy, he might be a national name in high school basketball recruiting circles by now.
But tucked away in eastern Wyoming in a town of less than 1,200 residents and a school with just 115 students, Thompson's exposure opportunities have been limited.
Credit those no-stone-unturned college basketball coaches though, as many are on the trail of what may be Wyoming's best hoops prospect in years.
Hunter Thompson
"Monday was the first day college coaches could call the kids going into their junior year," Pine Bluffs head coach Will Gray said. "I think he got 22 calls."
Larry Shyatt and the Wyoming Cowboys were the first to extend an offer last June after Thompson attended camp there. Colorado, Creighton, New Mexico, Utah State and most recently Montana have followed suit with scholarship offers.
"He's the real deal," Gray said. "And he's a great kid, too."
A threat from anywhere on the court at 6-foot-10 and nearly 220 pounds, Thompson averaged 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds as a sophomore for the Hornets.
Pine Bluffs finished 24-2 and reached the Class 2A state semifinals. Thompson was named state player of the year by the Casper Star-Tribune.
Born and raised in the small farming and ranching community, Thompson is stepping out a bit this summer by playing with the adidas-sponsored Utah Prospects.
