Amen Thompson

Amen Thompson[1] (born January 30, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the City Reapers of Overtime Elite (OTE). He played basketball for Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and won a state title. Thompson bypassed his senior year of high school to sign with OTE, where he played for two seasons.

Amen Thompson
No. 1 – City Reapers
PositionPoint guard
LeagueOvertime Elite
Personal information
Born (2003-01-30) January 30, 2003
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolPine Crest
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Team OTE
2022–presentCity Reapers
Career highlights and awards
  • OTE champion (2022-2023)
  • All-OTE First Team (2023)

Early life

Thompson was born to Maya Wilson and Troy Thompson and raised in San Leandro, California.[2][3] His identical twin brother, Ausar, is an NBA prospect, and his older brother, Troy Jr., played college basketball for Prairie View A&M. His uncle, Mark Thompson, represented Jamaica in 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He and Ausar began training for basketball under the guidance of their father by age seven .[2] The twins were homeschooled in sixth and seventh grade to focus on basketball.[3]

High school career

Entering eighth grade, Thompson and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida so that he and Ausar could play high school basketball one year early at Pine Crest School.[2][4] The twins immediately started for the team.[5] As a sophomore at Pine Crest, Thompson averaged 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, earning All-County honorable mention. Entering his junior season, he was named to the Broward County Fab Five by the Sun-Sentinel.[6] He averaged 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game as a junior, leading his team to the Class 4A state championship in a 90–83 double overtime win over Santa Fe High School.[7] In the title game, Thompson scored 43 points and helped Pine Crest overcome an eight-point deficit with 45 seconds left in overtime.[5] He shared Broward County Class 5A-1A co-player of the year honors from the Sun-Sentinel with Ausar.[7]

Recruiting

Thompson was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and a four-star recruit by Rivals.[8][9] He gained interest from college programs in 2019, receiving a scholarship offer from Alabama.[10] After his junior year, Thompson held offers from Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Arizona State and Kansas, among other programs, before deciding to not play college basketball.[11]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Amen Thompson
PG / SG / SF		 Fort Lauderdale, FL Pine Crest (FL) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) — 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Professional career

Team OTE (2021–2022)

On May 25, 2021, Thompson signed a two-year contract with Overtime Elite (OTE), a new professional league based in Atlanta with players between ages 16 and 20. He joined the league with Ausar, bypassing his final year of high school and college, because he felt that it would prepare him best for the NBA.[2][12][13] In the 2021–22 season, Thompson played for Team OTE, one of three teams in the league, and averaged 14 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game.[14][15] He competed against other OTE teams, as well as prep school and postgraduate opponents.[16] He helped his team achieve a runner-up finish, scoring 13 points in a 52–45 loss to Team Elite in the decisive third game of the finals.[17] Thompson played for OTE affiliate Team Overtime in The Basketball Tournament in July 2022.[2] His team lost to Omaha Blue Crew, 74–70, in the first round of the tournament.[18]

City Reapers (2022–present)

In the 2022–23 OTE season, Thompson played for the City Reapers alongside team captain Ausar, who selected him with the first pick in the league's draft.[19] On January 9, 2023, Thompson was named OTE Player of the Week for his first time, three days after recording 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a 101–90 win over the Cold Hearts.[20] At the end of the regular season, he was named to the All-OTE First Team.[21]

The City Reapers reached the OTE Finals, where they faced the YNG Dreamerz. In Game 2 of the Finals, Thompson scored a buzzer-beating, game-winning layup in an 80–78 win that gave the City Reapers a 2–0 series lead.[22] The City Reapers eventually won the Finals in Game 3, giving them a 3–0 series victory.[23]

References
  1. "Amen Thompson". Overtime Elite. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  2. Gutierrez, Israel (August 31, 2022). "The Thompson twins and Overtime Elite's unproven path to the NBA". ESPN. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. Polacheck, Jacob (April 18, 2022). "An Audacious Dream Meets Itself in Reality: A Look Inside Overtime Elite's Inaugural Season". Zagsblog. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. Schoenfield, Bruce (November 30, 2021). "The Teenagers Getting Six Figures to Leave Their High Schools for Basketball". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. Wilson, David (March 6, 2021). "'I did not think we were going to win': Pine Crest wins state title with miracle comeback". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  6. Lichtenstein, Adam (December 15, 2020). "Broward County boys basketball Fab Five for 2020 (and the next five)". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  7. Lichtenstein, Adam (March 27, 2021). "Broward 5A-1A boys basketball co-players of the year: Ausar Thompson and Amen Thompson, Pine Crest juniors". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  8. "Amen Thompson - Basketball Recruiting". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  9. "Amen Thompson, 2022 Point Guard". Rivals. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  10. Young, Justin (October 2, 2019). "South Florida's Thompson Twins are catching on with recruiters". HoopSeen. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  11. Brnaham, Travis (May 25, 2021). "Elite twins Amen and Ausar Thompson skip college to join the Overtime Elite program". 247Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  12. Boone, Kyle (May 25, 2021). "Overtime Elite lands another set of twins as Amen and Ausar Thompson choose professional program over college". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  13. Woo, Jeremy (March 7, 2022). "Can Overtime Elite Disrupt Basketball With ... Twins?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  14. Araiza, Robert (January 13, 2023). "Amen & Ausar Thompson: Should the San Antonio Spurs roll the dice?". Air Alamo. FanSided. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  15. Sprung, Shlomo (August 26, 2022). "Overtime Elite Roster 2022-23". Boardroom. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  16. Givony, Jonathan (October 13, 2021). "Overtime Elite announces 2021-22 schedule, roster for inaugural season". ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  17. Feldman, Joseph (March 14, 2022). "Team Elite Wins First Overtime Elite Championship". Overtime Elite. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  18. DeMarinis, Matt (July 17, 2022). "Omaha Blue Crew outlasts Team Overtime in a battle of old versus new". White and Blue Review. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  19. Feldman, Joseph (September 21, 2022). "OTE Announces Roster Reveal and Expansion for Season 2". Overtime Elite. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  20. Feldman, Joseph (January 9, 2023). "Amen Thompson named OTE Player of the Week". Overtime Elite. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  21. "OTE Announces Regular Season Awards". OTE. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  22. "Amen Sinks Buzzer Beater for Reapers Game 2 Win". Overtime Elite. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  23. "City Reapers Win OTE Championship". Overtime Elite. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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