5-star SF Anthony Thompson down to 7 schools

Anthony Thompson, a five-star small forward in the 2026 class, has narrowed his list of schools down to seven, according to his agent Nate Conley of Court XIV. Moving forward, the 6-foot-8 rising senior of Western Reserve (OH) will consider Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Purdue, and Texas.

Thompson, a native of Lebanon, Ohio, is ranked as the No. 8 overall player in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He’s also the No. 3-ranked small forward and the No. 1 player in Ohio.

To this point, Thompson has completed unofficial visits to Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, and Kentucky.

Prior to cutting his list down, he also received offers from Auburn, BYU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Louisville, Kansas, and others.

Thompson talks schools involved

In a recent interview with Rivals, Thompson discussed several — but not all — of the schools recruiting him.

Indiana: “We’ve been in talks a lot. Coach Adams, coach DeVries, all of them. I’m starting to build a good relationship with them.”

Kentucky: “(They’re) very involved as well. They came to visit me and kind of just told me how big of a priority I am for them with my versatility and my shooting and stuff like that. Obviously it’s a really storied program, a really good program over a lot of years. It’s a blue blood.”

Michigan: “He’s (Dusty May) a really good coach, a really smart coach. When I went to visit them, I really liked the coaching staff up there.”

North Carolina: “They are another very storied program, a blue blood program. Coach (Hubert) Davis has been preaching how big of a priority I am for them, too.”

Ohio State: “They said I can be a big-time player there, being an in-state kid and stuff like that. Stay home and do great things.”

Texas: “He (Sean Miller) recruited me at Xavier, so just following up with me in that recruitment and continuing to tell me how big of a priority I am for them. Obviously, I built a good connection with them at Xavier, so it has kind of carried over at Texas.”

What he’s looking for in a school

In a separate interview with Rivals, Thompson noted what he wants in a college program.

“I want to play for a person I connect with. A coach on the court, but also off the court. I feel like that is the best way to succeed on the court is to play for someone you really connect with and really get to know them.

“I’m going to look at the play style and their plan for me. I’ve played a small forward role my whole life, so that is what I’m most comfortable with. I think it allows me to best open up my game inside and out. But I can play however the coach wants me, in multiple different styles. So, I’m going to look at the play style and go somewhere I’m comfortable.”