|
Ronny Thompson is in his third season as an
assistant coach after joining head coach Stan
Heath’s staff during the summer of 2003.
Thompson came to the Razorbacks with a pedigree
second to none. He is the son of legendary Hall of
Famer and former Georgetown head coach John
Thompson. He is also the brother of current
Georgetown head coach John Thompson III.
Thompson adds a wealth of knowledge and coaching
experience to Heath’s staff. He coached for five
seasons as an assistant at Georgetown. In addition,
he also worked with another Hall of Famer, head
coach Larry Brown, and general manager Billy King as
an NBA scout for the Philadelphia 76ers from
1996-98. While with the 76ers, Thompson was an
integral part in assisting Brown and King in
preparing for games as well as assisting in
preparing for the NBA Draft.
Thompson, who played for his father from 1989-92,
earned his bachelor’s in sociology in 1992 and
worked on Wall Street for Prudential Securities.
After working on Wall Street, he decided to pursue
coaching and began his second career as an assistant
to Jerry Green at the University of Oregon. From
1994-96, he was an assistant at Loyola before going
to the NBA. Thompson joined his father’s staff after
the 1998 NBA season and remained with the Hoyas
through 2003. Georgetown’s 2001 squad reached the
Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The 2003 team
reached the finals of the NIT while the 2000 team
advanced to the second round of the NIT.
At Georgetown, Thompson’s duties included
coordinating recruiting, preparing scouting reports
and player development, in addition to on-floor
coaching.
His coaching career to this point has been special
with time spent working with two coaches who have
won NCAA titles and been inducted into the Hall of
Fame. Not surprisingly, Heath has Thompson, one of
the bright young minds in the coaching profession,
involved in all aspects of the Razorback program.
One of Thompson’s responsibilities is post play.
Last year, Darian Townes earned honorable mention
freshman All-America honors while another freshman,
Steven Hill, was second in the Southeastern
Conference in blocked shots.
As a player at Georgetown, Thompson was a member of
teams that went a combined 94-35, reached the Elite
Eight once and the Sweet 16 twice.
Thompson and his wife Erica have a son, Dylan
(three) and a daughter, Devin, who was born May 20. |
