Joliet West sophomore Lisa Thompson’s big-time play attracts major attention from colleges

Joliet West sophomore guard Lisa Thompson’s skill was on full display Friday against Plainfield East.

The 5-foot-9 sophomore collected a rebound on one end of the court and took off. She had to change direction twice to get past three defenders then slipped her teammate the ball right before a fourth opponent tried to stop her.

Although her teammate’s shot didn’t go in, Thompson’s play elicited an audible “Nice pass Lisa!” from the bench.

Although Thompson was Joliet West’s primary ballhandler and dished out a few assists, she also led her team with 28 points in the Tigers’ 67-31 win over the Bengals.

It was only one example of the talent that’s drawn attention from several big-name college women’s basketball programs.

Thompson said she has received 30 offers from programs such as Louisville, Michigan and Arizona, to name a few.

“At the level that Lisa’s at, only a few [players] in the country get those kind of offers from the major colleges she’s got offers from,” Joliet West coach John Placher said.

Like many other sought-after recruits, Thompson has been selling herself on social media. Her Twitter feed shows what the modern recruiting game is like for players, whether she’s shouting out schools pursuing her or posting videos showing off her ballhandling prowess.

Although she’s barely old enough to get behind the wheel of a car, Thompson acknowledged with such attention comes responsibility for how she presents herself publicly.

“Now I’ve been taking [social media] more serious because I know a lot of coaches follow me,” she said. “They’re really engaged with my page, as well, so I try to mindful of what I post.”

As for Thompson’s game on the court, Placher said over the next two years he wants to see her grow into one of the top players in the country.

“She’s a tremendous passer,” he said. “And she’s scoring like she can score the basketball better than anybody around.”

Thompson’s production has helped Joliet West get off to a 3-1 start.

In the team’s first win, over Romeoville, Thompson scored 14 points. She also led the Tigers in their only loss thus far, to Bolingbrook, with 17 points, then contributed another 16 points Tuesday in a win against rival Joliet Central.

Thompson said she’s still exploring her options on college and aims to focus more on trimming down her already long list of potential schools over the summer.

For now, however, Thompson and her young team have a truncated schedule in front of them. Joliet West is looking to try to match the success of last year’s 29-4 team, which made it to a sectional semifinal, although without a proper postseason this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through months of uncertainty as to whether high school basketball would even happen this season because of the pandemic, Placher said he was doubtful.

Even so, he lauded Thompson and her teammates for staying active and preparing themselves when they couldn’t practice or train as a team.

“A lot of them worked when we weren’t allowed to work,” he said.

Thompson said she used home workouts and went to basketball courts on her own when she couldn’t do so with her teammates in preparation for the season.

Once the season finally started, the abbreviated schedule also dealt its own set of challenges. With barely a handful of practice sessions, Placher said his players barely have had time to correct mistakes.

After the loss to Bolingbrook, Placher said the team hasn’t had the time to address “the little things we weren’t doing right.” A snowstorm Monday also forced the cancellation of practice before Tuesday’s game against Joliet Central.

Thompson said she has her own shortfalls she aims to work on, such as her defense and communication on the floor.

But with so much happening so quickly for the young standout, Thompson said she can’t dwell on a loss or missed shot and needs to “move on to the next one.” Perhaps it’s a confidence best exemplified by what she calls her motto.

In one tweet showing her posing in her No. 0 jersey, she explained that she wears that number because “that’s how many can guard me when I’m in my zone.”