NC State’s David Thompson Earns a Spot on The Sporting News All-Time All-American Teams

To celebrate their 140-year anniversary, The Sporting News looked back and put together their All-Time Men’s College Basketball All-American teams, and NC State’s David Thompson made the 1st Team.

The Sporting News All-Time All-American Teams

1st Team

David Thompson – NC State
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – UCLA
Bill Walton – UCLA
Bill Russell – San Francisco
Oscar Robertson – Cincinnati

2nd Team

Pete Maravich – LSU
Christian Laettner – Duke
Larry Bird – Indiana State
Patrick Ewing – Georgetown
Elvin Hayes – Houston

3rd Team

Michael Jordan – UNC
Magic Johnson – Michigan State
Danny Manning – Kansas
Tyler Hansbrough – UNC
Jay Williams – Duke

Here’s what TSN had to say about Thompson:

David Thompson, NC State

Position: Forward

Career stats: 26.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, .553 FG pct.

Individual honors: Sporting News Player of the Year (1975), USBWA Player of the Year (1975)

Team honors: NCAA Champion (1974)

Overview: Thompson’s vertical leap once was measured at 44 inches, and it seems years later they must have had a broken ruler. Because we’ve seen players since with verticals listed higher, and maybe some of them ever flew where Thompson could go.

There was more to Thompson’s game than his leaping ability, but it began there because defenses had no real answer for it. That’s how he wound up leading the ACC in free throw attempts as both a junior and senior, and he converted 76 percent for his career. He also was an effective jumpshooter, but there was no 3-point reward at the time, so it made more sense for him to play around the goal (and above the rim).

Although he was just 6-4, 195 pounds, he never averaged fewer than 7.9 rebounds. It took a player with great fortitude to be at the core of a collapsing the UCLA dynasty; the Bruins had won seven consecutive NCAA titles when he and the Wolfpack finally got their chance in the semifinals of the 1974 Tournament. He contributed 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals that day, going 7-of-12 from the field. He wasn’t dominant in that game, but neither was he far from flawless. (TSN)