Quick Interview with new Iowa commit Trey Thompson
- Thread starter Joe Tipton
- Start date
His academic work is finished. He has all the credits he needs, so he's graduating early. Same as a college kid finishing an undergrad degree in three years instead of four . . . or five or six or whatever. It's the credits that matter, not the time you spend in school.
Okay, so I know how this comment will be received without prefacing it, so here goes: I am not saying this kid is as good or talented as this player I am going to mention, but…there is a little Cooper Flagg to his game.
One Thompson quote from the OP's interview stood out to me ~
“I chose Iowa because there was a need for me now. I wanted a significant role and I wanted to get better this year. They gave me both of those, so I decided to say yes.”
We all love to project starting lineups & depth charts & minutes breakdowns - but we really don't know how McCollum will handle all that yet. We've seen evidence and direct quotes from him that he tends to ride the top 5-7 with most of the minutes. Perhaps that was only because of the rosters he has had at NW Miss St & Drake. I really don't know & I don't think any of us know how this will play out.
I just find Thompson's "need for me now" quote very compelling.
“I chose Iowa because there was a need for me now. I wanted a significant role and I wanted to get better this year. They gave me both of those, so I decided to say yes.”
We all love to project starting lineups & depth charts & minutes breakdowns - but we really don't know how McCollum will handle all that yet. We've seen evidence and direct quotes from him that he tends to ride the top 5-7 with most of the minutes. Perhaps that was only because of the rosters he has had at NW Miss St & Drake. I really don't know & I don't think any of us know how this will play out.
I just find Thompson's "need for me now" quote very compelling.
Nice. Things must have changed quite a bit since I was in school. Due to how pre-requisites worked it was impossible to finish everything by your senior year of high school, but your senior year there were only 2 mandatory classes if I remember correctly which allowed you to have a shorter schedule. Athletics required a different minimum to play so I remember having to take the required courses plus one or two electives to graduate and be sport eligible.
expecting a b1g title in his debut year might be a bit much 
so I intend to grade the bmac hire by comparing where we finish this season compared to purdue. this recruiting win is a good start on paper at least.
so I intend to grade the bmac hire by comparing where we finish this season compared to purdue. this recruiting win is a good start on paper at least.
IIRC, Fran offered Garza early and some solid programs tried to swoop in late to steal him. Fran was good at identifying talent early, although he didn't always land them. Aaron White was a good example of identifying talent but nobody else came knocking so he was a Hawk.
I wonder how soon he will be in Iowa City practicing; he has some catching up to do
I think right now you can pencil in 4 starters; after that, I agree with you; who knows....
6'4 G Bennett Stirtz (SR)
6'4 G Brendan Hausen (SR)
6'9 F Alvaro Folgueiras (JR)
6'8 F Cam Manyawu (JR)
6'7 G/F Tavion Banks (SR)
6'8 F Trey Thompson (FR)
6'8 F Cooper Koch (RS FR)
6'9 F Joey Matteoni (RS FR)
6'11 C Trevin Jirak (FR)
6'4 G Kael Combs (JR)
6'5 G Isaia Howard (SO)
6'7 G Tate Sage (FR)
6'2 G Peyton McCollum (FR)
6'2 G Jacob Koch (SO)
cc: @Buffalo43
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Absolutely.
Fran definitely had an eye for talent. He was unfortunately a bridesmaid every time, though.
Joey has a couple inches on Trey and has supposedly grown to 6'10. I see him competing more with Jirak for minutes at the 5. Thompson gives us versatility and will likely compete with Cooper Koch for playing time.
more Purdue fan reaction:
Really? In WHAT league does "reclass" play? Maybe Jonah can fill us in on that one. lolol..
Its possible he already has the credits to graduate or can finish up over the summer. I highly doubt he can go on a scholarship at a B1G school without graduating.
Does sound a bit like the Iowa site when we lose out on a kid we were certain we would land...more Purdue fan reaction:
I don't follow Purdue sports. Obviously, they have been really good in basketball the last few years and have been solid most past years. That said, I've never thought of them as being a blue blood like Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UNC. If you're not a blue blood I think its reasonable to expect to lose a recruit once in a while.more Purdue fan reaction:
Regarding their low opinion of Iowa as a destination -they have been dominant lately but that hasn't always been the case. Would love for Trey to hit a buzzer beater for the win over Purdue since they suddenly have a low opinion of him.
one more reason to keep PU going as our most hated rival.
Here’s an article from a KU perspective:
www.si.com
Kansas Basketball Misses on 4-Star Recruit to Big Ten Program
One of Kansas' top recruiting targets in the 2026 class, Trey Thompson, committed to Iowa on Saturday.
www.si.com
They miss on a 4 star they just move on to the next 4 star. KU will be fine.Here’s an article from a KU perspective:
Kansas Basketball Misses on 4-Star Recruit to Big Ten Program
One of Kansas' top recruiting targets in the 2026 class, Trey Thompson, committed to Iowa on Saturday.
I think it's too soon to be projecting just yet unless you've been in the practice sessions. Too many new guys feelin' each other out along w/ the coaches. Who knows just how the players will adjust, when lights will come on for them, how motivated they are to compete at a high level, and how mentally tough they are. I would guess the Drake guys will have a leg up b/c they know what's going on and have bought in deep enough to want to follow BMc to IC. I also have a very strong idea this team is going to be coached up more along the lines of Izzo, Underwood, Painter, etc. Hard, tough and demanding... but in a good way. I'm very excited and optimistic Iowa MBB is going to be very exciting.I wonder how soon he will be in Iowa City practicing; he has some catching up to do
I think right now you can pencil in 4 starters; after that, I agree with you; who knows....
6'4 G Bennett Stirtz (SR)
6'4 G Brendan Hausen (SR)
6'9 F Alvaro Folgueiras (JR)
6'8 F Cam Manyawu (JR)
6'7 G/F Tavion Banks (SR)
6'8 F Trey Thompson (FR)
6'8 F Cooper Koch (RS FR)
6'9 F Joey Matteoni (RS FR)
6'11 C Trevin Jirak (FR)
6'4 G Kael Combs (JR)
6'5 G Isaia Howard (SO)
6'7 G Tate Sage (FR)
6'2 G Peyton McCollum (FR)
6'2 G Jacob Koch (SO)
Agree with these comments. That said, given Trey's comments it seems like he certainly expects to get meaningful minutes. Now, I doubt there were any guarantees made, but I also think they must see him in the rotation or he wouldn't have that impression. We gotta trust the new staff -and until I have a reason not to, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
The Vols take...
allfortennessee.com
Tennessee basketball loses top hometown 4-star recruit to struggling Big Ten school
Tennessee basketball missed out on a four-star in-state recruit in a recruiting battle that took place an hour outside of Knoxville. Four-star power forward Tre
allfortennessee.com
Here’s an article from a KU perspective:
Kansas Basketball Misses on 4-Star Recruit to Big Ten Program
One of Kansas' top recruiting targets in the 2026 class, Trey Thompson, committed to Iowa on Saturday.
Agreed that Iowa sees him contributing somewhere, maybe in January or why ask him to reclassify on his OV. Unless BMc thinks the kid is gonna be that good along w/ his competitive attitude and just wanted to get him on the bus.
Great stuff! I can only hope that Trey is the second coming of Aaron White. I doubt that is true but who knows?
If you read the article and are old.................The Vols take...
Tennessee basketball loses top hometown 4-star recruit to struggling Big Ten school
Tennessee basketball missed out on a four-star in-state recruit in a recruiting battle that took place an hour outside of Knoxville. Four-star power forward Tre
"247 Sports' Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein writes"
You get a job before sundown or we are shipping you off to the Finkelstein sh*t kid......... clean version.....
Wow, high praise coming from a guy who was the 13th man on a 12 man roster. He's a fan, in the end.
I think he will arrive when classes begin at the end of August. It sounds like he had to complete an online class or two to fulfill his high school graduation requirements, and he obviously cannot enroll or join the team until then.
officially official.
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So good that he gets a 2026 kid to reclassify to 2025!