Sept. 4, 2008

By Adam Lucas

Last summer, Deon Thompson went global. This summer, he stayed local.

The California product thinks he's noticed a difference. In the summer of 2007, Thompson was one of the standouts on the USA Under 19 team that competed in the FIBA World Championship in Serbia. He played very well, including a handful of double-doubles, but the summer wasn't entirely basketball-intensive.

"I got to see a different part of the world," Thompson says. "Last summer, I was having fun while I was working on my game at the same time. It helped me get some experience in different environments, because I'm not like a lot of guys. I haven't been playing the game my whole life."

Thompson didn't begin playing basketball until his sophomore year in high school. Since then, his five-year learning curve has taken him from high school tryouts to the starting lineup of the best program in the nation.

After significant contemplation, he decided to accelerate that learning process this summer. He's 2,533 miles from his hometown, so any opportunity to go home is precious. Most far-flung students point toward the holiday vacations of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thompson will spend those breaks playing basketball in Maui (tough to shed tears for that one), Chicago, Chapel Hill, and elsewhere.

Despite a twinge of homesickness, the rising junior passed up the opportunity for an extended stay in Torrance this summer. What could keep him away from home that long?

As it turns out, it was a "who," not a "what." Specifically, it was Marvin Williams, Sean May, and Jonas Sahratian.

The Tar Heels-turned-pros came back to Chapel Hill this summer to work out with the Carolina strength coach. Thompson wanted to shadow them.

"I knew that would be the best thing for me," he says. "I didn't want to go home and get complacent and just work on my game a little bit. I wanted to be here, get stronger, and stay focused.

"I talked to Coach Williams about it, because it was a hard decision. With me being so far from home, there are a lot of people I'd like to see. But I needed to be here."

That's a remarkably mature sentiment from a 19-year-old. It's one of the many ways he's changed since arriving on campus two summers ago. Equally stark is his physical change; Thompson arrived weighing over 260 pounds, and now weighs a cut 240.

His productive play for the U-19 team put him in the spotlight in 2007 and created some buzz about his sophomore season potential. This year, while the public buzz has been minimal, Thompson has built a small but important fan club in places like the Smith Center weight room and practice gym. Marvin Williams, May, and even the hard-to-please Sahratian have raved about Thompson's summer dedication.

The feeling is mutual.

"Working out with those guys puts things in perspective for me," he says. "It's a good way to find out how far you have to go to reach your future goals. On the one hand, working out with someone like Marvin lets me know I can compete with him. But it also shows me how much I still have to do."

Tops on that list is becoming more consistent. Thompson's sophomore numbers were respectable--8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while starting all but one of Carolina's 39 contests. But many of his best outings--he scored in double figures in five of a six-game midseason ACC stretch--were too often followed by sub-par performances--after that streak, he had just 14 points in the next four games.

His head coach continued to prod him to improve. After Thompson shot 8-for-8 from the field and contributed 16 points in the NCAA Tournament second round against Arkansas, he was selected to face the assembled media along with his head coach in the postgame press conference. As that interview began, Williams reviewed the box score and then passed Thompson a note. What did it say?

"Congratulations--you got one more rebound than Wanda."

The message, not so subtly, was that the Tar Heels needed more than just the one rebound Thompson had grabbed.

"I wasn't consistent enough last year," he says. "There were too many ups and downs, and I didn't play at a high level the whole year. I didn't give it a lot of thought during the year, because we were winning games and you can't be upset if your team is winning games. "

In hindsight, Thompson believes some of the preseason buzz and some self-inflicted pressure may have combined to create his inconsistency.

"I probably put too much pressure on myself last year," he says. "I wanted to be that breakout player for my team, and not doing it was a big disappointment for me. I was worried about not doing what people expected me to do or what I expected myself to do. That sets you up for disappointment.

"This year, I just want to get out there and play."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.