Senior forward Nick Thompson recorded Utah Valley’s first-ever triple-double against Austin Peay.
During the holiday break, the Wolverines took the 84-77 win against Austin Peay at the twenty-third Dr. Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“It was a personal goal for me this year,” Thompson said. “Things came together, and my teammates helped me out, and it just kind of happened.”
Not only was his record-breaking triple-double a highlighted shot for him in Tennessee, but Thompson also set a new school record with 12 assists for the Wolverines, finishing the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Before Thompson’s big debut in Tennessee, he was named the Great West Conference Player of the Week earlier that week, averaging a double-double. Already scoring three double-doubles this season, Thompson continues to come out on top, recording some of the season’s highest stats.
“It definitely felt good to win the award, but I owe it to my team,” Thompson said. “If you got a team like we do, guys can’t really focus in on one team player. It gives all of us to have an opportunity for a big game.”
Thompson’s grateful attitude towards his team is what he finds to be key in his success. Not only is he a talented ball player but he has a humble heart, and with that, Thompson’s accomplishments have been well-deserved.
“For me personally, I still need to get back in the swing of things,” Thompson said. “I feel like everything’s coming back to me now and I feel really comfortable in the season. I think it’s going to be a good year.”
As the Wolverines are 7-10 for the season, they continue to strengthen weaknesses and practice hard in hopes to finish off the season with their overall goal to take a Great West Conference Championship victory.
“I think we have a team full of guys who like playing with each other; we play for each other,” Thompson said. “No one’s really worried about who’s scoring this and who’s doing that. We have a real unselfish group of guys.”
With more away games remaining in the season, traveling to California, New Jersey, Texas, North Dakota and Illinois, the men’s basketball team plays with anticipation, reaching for their highest potential as a team as well as an individual player.
“I think getting better as a team, and getting better every game is our main focus,” Thompson said. “We’ll keep growing because we have so much potential than we’ve shown so far.”
Rachel Anderson, assistant sports editor
randerson3x@gmail.com
twitter handle: rachach3x
