Thompson leads USC
with shades of Leslie
Center marches abilities, team into Pauley on Saturday
By Hye Kwon
It’s pretty obvious why Tina Thompson of the USC women’s
basketball team is often compared to Lisa Leslie, one of the
greatest players to wear the maroon and gold.
For starters, Thompson starred at Morningside high school in
Inglewood the same school that Leslie attended. In addition,
Thompson plays the center position that Leslie left behind last
year when she graduated.
The similarities might be even more striking on the court. The
aggressive style that both players use against their front court
counterparts are quite similar.
Also, people have remarked that the tall, lanky
6-footÂ3-inch frame that Thompson exhibits on the court is
reminiscent of Leslie’s stature.
But to Thompson, who has already heard nearly every imaginable
comparison between her and Leslie, the above statements seem
redundant and sometimes even annoying.
"Lisa is a great player and I’m flattered that I get compared to
her," Thompson commented. "But sometimes the press turns the
comparison into a competition. It seems like they want to measure
who is a better player and that gets old."
Instead of trying to be the best imitation of Lisa Leslie, the
sophomore center is doing her best to be the best Tina
Thompson.
After a season of maturation and learning last year, Thompson
has carried the No. 24 Women of Troy this year. She leads the team
in scoring and rebounding. Thompson’s 18.6 points per game is third
best in the Pac-10 and her rebounding average of 9.6 per game is
second in the conference only to UCLA’s Kisa Hughes.
Despite their 11-5 overall record and a ranking of No. 24 in the
latest Associated Press poll, the Women of Troy have struggled in
the conference. USC, the winner of the Pac-10 conference last
season, is currently sixth on the conference standings with a
record of 4-4. But to call this season a rebuilding year is
unacceptable to Thompson.
"People have said that we have the athletes but not the
experience, but I don’t think it’s true," Thompson said. " I think
we’re right up there with the best teams."
As the Women of Troy march into Pauley Pavilion on Saturday for
a 2 p.m. game, much of the attention will be focused on Thompson as
she goes up against Hughes.
The two players are arguably the finest centers in the Pac-10,
as they are ranked in the top five in scoring, field goal
percentage and rebounding categories.
Despite the widespread pre-game hype generated by the match-up
between the two centers, Thompson hasn’t deviated from her usual
simplistic way of approaching a game.
"I really haven’t studied Kisa’s game," Thompson said. "I just
know that she’s good."
One of the reasons that the Women of Troy are a formidable
opponent for the Bruins (7-10, 2-6) is that Thompson has a
formitable supporting cast behind her. Karleen Shields averages
16.9 points per game and Thompson gets help inside the paint from
center/forward Rashida Jeffrey.