12/1/18

So last time we spoke, my season had started while I was also working to stay on top of my grades. Not much has changed. Today I had a 2:00 game against Hyde at the Storm King tournament. It took us a little over an hour to get to Storm King. To get my mind in game mode I made sure I brought my headphones, so I could listen to that new Meek Mill on my to Storm King. I ran into my mom and dad when I got to the gym. This wasn’t surprising, since they try to make it to all of my games. They are my biggest supporters. This game went better than expected. We fought and it was a great team effort. I finished with 29 points and a few rebounds, steals and assists. We got back at around 5:30, so I went to the movies to watch Creed II for the second time

12/2/18

I had to go up to Storm King again, for a game against Springfield Commonwealth Academy. We started playing hard from the jump. They scouted our game yesterday. So, today, they threw multiple defenders at me which freed my teammates. I was able to get a lot of assists of this. Everytime another defender didn’t come to help, I was able to beat my man 1 on 1, the whole game. We got the W, and I finished with 23 points and 6 assists.

12/5/18

Today is wednesday, which is my easiest day of the week. I had a few classes today and the rest were free periods. I caught up on a lot of work, and finished some work for the rest of the week. After finishing my homework, I went to the gym during the last period of the day before practice. I got up some shots before practice because today we were going to watch some film from this past weekend. When we get together as a team and watch film, it’s a great opportunity to learn from our mistakes, and find areas in which we need improvement.

12/11/18

First home game of the year against Brunswick today. Coming off of a win last weekend, we knew that we could win this game. A lot of teams are sleeping on us this year, because we lost a few kids from last year’s team, but this is why we go so hard in practice everyday. From the jump, we put pressure on Brunswick, and maintained a comfortable lead the whole game. I finished with 30 points and 6 assists.

12/14/18

After school today, we left to go to the Mercer tournament at the Hill School. The Hill School is in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, so it took us about 3 and a half hours to get there. Just enough time to play Meek Mill new album over and over. This past week we had been focusing on adjusting our defense and preparing to play against some good competition at the Mercer tournament. Going into this tournament we knew that some of these teams were more talented than us, but that never fazed me. I don’t care how old, strong, or big the other team is, I always go on the court and play my game. I am competitive and will always try to win and be the best at anything I do.

12/16/18

This was our last day staying in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. We had a 10am game against Peddie before we headed back to NY. Although we were exhausted from all the traveling and playing, we pulled off this win. We were hungrier than Peddie, and personally, I really wanted this win because I hate long car rides home after a loss. We beat Peddie by two, in a close, intense game. I finished with 29 points and a few assists. I got to see my PSA teammate, Daniel and his Hill team went on to win the tournament. This tournament was a good experience. I got the chance to match up against other talented guards and make a name for myself.

12/21/18

Today was my last day of school. These past four weeks after Thanksgiving break, going into winter break have been busy. These might be the hardest weeks on the year, with all the games, practices and schoolwork to keep up with. I’m happy that they are over and now I have this much needed break from school ahead of me. Tonight a few of my PSA teammates were coming to my town to play in the Slam Dunk tournament at the Westchester County Center. Drissa playing for Luhi and AJ playing for Stepinac, both also class of 2021. They have been my boys since middle school, so I had to go support them.

12/27/18

Today was my second workout of the week with my guy, Kyheem from Clock Inn. I was able to get some good work in with him. Worked on some stuff that I will take into the new year. This was a productive year. I don’t change my mindset going into the new year, I strive to become better. I try to work harder than I did the previous year, and hopefully the work will show.

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” - Vern McLellan

On that note, hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday. Catch you guys in 2019!

What’s up everyone. My name is Isaiah Thompson and I am from White Plains, NY. I am a 6’0 Sophomore, and currently attend The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY. It is a co-ed day and boarding school in Westchester. As you can see, I play on the Nike EYBL High School circuit with the PSA Cardinals. My 15U team just finished a solid summer playing on the circuit, and competing against some of the best talent all over the country. This program produces a bunch of D1 talent each and every year, and I hope to be next in line. After a productive summer with the PSA Cardinals, I am now switching gears into my school basketball season.

So, here’s a little bit about myself.

I have been playing ball basically my whole life. My family is huge on basketball, so growing up it’s all I knew. Starting in 3rd grade, I played for Tommy Swinton and the NY Gauchos for about five years, and then played for the PSA cardinals ever since. My favorite player of all time is Kobe, but Russell Westbrook is my current favorite player. My favorite food is pizza, and I listen to a lot of Hip-Hop/Rap. I listen to artists like, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Gunna, Drake, Nba Youngboy, Jay Critch, A-Boogie and a lot more.

11/2/18

While playing ball year round and continuously working on my craft, I manage to stay on top of my school work. The end of my first quarter was today, and I pulled off a 3.9 GPA. Coming off of a successful performance at the Pangos All East Camp was great preparation for my school season. After killing the competition at Pangos, I made a few player standout lists, and was selected for the Top 30 Cream of the Crop Game. A few of my teammates from PSA Cardinals, Daniel Nixon, Shane Dezonie and Micawber Etienne also made this game. Shout out to my boy, Micawber for taking home the MVP of the camp. I am looking forward to playing with these guys this upcoming eybl season.

Here are a few clips from Pangos All East.

11/12/18

Today was my first practice of the season. Practice starts at 3:30 everyday after school. We had a solid team last year, but lost a few important pieces this year. We will be good this year as long as we work hard everyday together as a team. I need to step up this year, and take my game to another level, because my team will count on me, and I must perform at a high level. After being the only freshman to make All League last year, I have a target on me, but I can’t let that slow me down because I have something to prove this year. I want to continue to prove that I am one of the best 2021 guards in the NY and in the country.

11/14/18

Today was our first scrimmage of the season. We played The Dwight School, and had a chance to go over some plays and defense that we will use this season. Even though we only had 2 practices before this scrimmage, we still played good as a team. I finished with 30 points and a few assist.

11/17/18

We played Hackley today, and this was our second scrimmage of the year. It was supposed to be our third, but the snowstorm on Friday caused us to cancel our scrimmage against Léman Prep. As a team throughout this scrimmage we had our ups and downs. I didn’t expect us to play our best, because this is still the beginning of the season, and we have a lot to work on. We won the overall scrimmage, but could’ve played better. I finished with 44 points, but feel like I could improve some areas of my game like rebounding, and defense.

11/19/18

Today is Monday, and my school has this whole week off for Thanksgiving break. My school doesn’t give work over break, so I get a much needed break from all my stressful school work. Games start a few days after break is over, so we have no time to waste. We got right back in the gym today, and prepared for the season.

11/28/18

We are traveling to Hopkins for our first game of the season today. The game starts at 4:15, and its takes about an hour and a half to get to Hopkins from my school.

On these long bus rides, I get my mind ready and listen to music. We got to the gym a little late, but went through our pregame routine and mentally prepared for the game. The game started off how we planned. We got a few defensive stops and I hit my first three attempt of the game. After this, their defense seemed to close in on me as multiple defenders were thrown at me every time I had the ball. The refs missed a few calls, but tensions were high in this game and I let the refs get to me. I can’t blame this loss on the refs, but I definitely have to work on keeping my temper and playing composed. My backcourt mate, Rashid woods played hard, and kept us in the game. We came up short at the end, but I like to think of every loss as a lesson learned. I finished with 12 points, but could’ve played better and got the win, if I didn’t let the refs affect my game.

11/30/18

Today is Friday, my favorite day of the week. It was also a great day for the music world. My favorite artist, Meek Mill came out with his album today. I'm ready to see all the fake fans post his music today lol. Lil Baby also came out with a mixtape today. I started off the day with some new music, and only had 4 classes since I have two free periods in the middle of my schedule. During these free periods I would play some ball or finish some school work. School work is a priority in my family, and they always push me to get good grades. Basketball practice started after classes ended, and we prepared for the tournament at Storm King this weekend. Another lesson learned from last game was our lack of size and that everyone on the court has to help rebound. This weekend i’m going to work on helping rebounding and improving my defense every game.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and see you next month.

- Isaiah