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Anthony Thompson's coach explains why the five-star forward committed to Ohio State
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- Anthony Thompson's coach explains why the five-star forward committed to Ohio State
It was quintessential Anthony Thompson.
At about 8:15 a.m., on Oct. 21, when Thompson met with his coach, Matt Garvey, during a free period at Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy. They exchanged pleasantries, warmed up and then Thompson told him that he'd made a decision.
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Thompson, a five-star forward in the 2026 recruiting class, was going to commit that day to Ohio State . The decision made him the first five-star player in the 247Sports.com rankings since Jared Sullinger (recruiting class of 2010) to commit to the Buckeyes.
In the high school basketball world, it was a pretty big deal . Inside the gym at Western Reserve Academy, it was a few minutes of a free period used to work on his game. No fuss, no press conference, just a matter-of-fact announcement.
"He told me, I gave him a hug and told him I'm proud of him," Garvey said. "He told me he's excited, we got a workout in, 15 minutes, we finished up, he went over to where his bag was, he pulled his phone out, he called coach (Jake) Diebler, they spoke for about 5-10 minutes and then Anthony went and showered and went on with his day."
Don't confuse the lack of fanfare with a lack of enthusiasm. Described as a relatively quiet kid by his coach, Thompson had spent the last two months doing his due diligence before making a decision.
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Starting with the weekend of August 22, Thompson visited each of his final six schools in succession. After kicking things off at North Carolina, Thompson went to Ohio State , Michigan, Indiana and Texas before wrapping things up at Kentucky the weekend of Sept. 24.
"He did such a good job, because it's not like he came back from every visit like, 'I'm ready to go to Ohio State,' or, 'I'm ready to go to Indiana or Texas,' " Garvey said. "He's not overly impressionable. He would take notes on his flight home, drive home from each visit, really dissect every visit, sleep on it, think about it, and then he journaled throughout the process. That helped him collect his thoughts and get him to arrive at his decision."
Lebanon forward Anthony Thompson shoots during a 50-61 loss to Winton Woods Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.
Ultimately, Ohio State and Indiana were his top two finalists. When it came time to break down his official visit to check out the Buckeyes, Garvey said Thompson described it as comfortable.
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"It was funny, I said, 'How was the Ohio State visit?' " Garvey said. "He said, 'Good, it was nothing new.' I said, 'What does that mean?' He said, 'I've been there a lot, I'm just really comfortable there. I know what that is.' That was a place he was comfortable with and could see himself at."
Diebler played a significant role in that. The Ohio State coach prioritized landing the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Thompson.
"He came five straight weeks," Garvey said. "I joked with him, you're keeping the local coffee shop in business and you don't even need to go to the counter to order anymore."
Diebler would bring assistant coaches with him on each visit, and at least one time, he brought his entire coaching staff, Garvey said.
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"Coach (Diebler) was always a constant, and I think that spoke volumes to Anthony," he said. "He never felt or viewed himself as an option at Ohio State; he viewed himself as a priority."
Before becoming the head coach at Western Reserve Academy, Garvey was on staff at Providence from 2016-21 where he moved up from graduate assistant to special assistant to the head coach to video coordinator. While there, he coached future NBA players Kris Dunn and David Duke.
Now up to 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, Thompson has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and is widely projected to go in the first half of the 2027 NBA Draft. How does Thompson compare to those two in Garvey's estimation?
More: Who is Ohio State's best shooter? Dunker? Dresser? The Buckeyes sound off in annual poll
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"They were world-class athletes that chose to play basketball," he said of Dunn and Duke. "If they chose to play football, they'd both probably be in the NFL. Anthony is a true basketball player. He has elite feel, IQ, the skill set. He's very different in that way. He has all the measurables. He has the skill. He has the athleticism. He has the IQ."
He is also bucking a trend by staying home to play for the Buckeyes.
"I think it's really neat for him to stay in the state," Garvey said. "It's different, but it's his journey, his path. I think it's fantastic and hopefully other kids in the state see it and be like, 'Wow, look at Anthony.' Maybe he starts the trend of keeping the better players in the state because it is a rich state of talent at the high school level."
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @ cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @ AdamJardy .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Five-star Anthony Thompson 'comfortable' with Ohio State, coach says
