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Player Diary: Michael Thompson of Chicago Lincoln Park High School
Michael Thompson (Chicago Lincoln Park) Brian Stinnette Special To ChicagoHoops.com November 2, 2004 Email Questions/Comments To brian@chicagohoops.com Michael "Juice" Thompson of Chicago Lincoln Park High School brings the first installment of his Player Diary to ChicagoHoops.com. Michael ranks as one of the top Class of 2007 basketball prospects in the state of Illinois, and will bring us a special look inside his recruitment, and his life on and off of the basketball court. What’s up everybody? I am Michael "Juice" Thompson, the point/shooting guard of Chicago Lincoln Park and the Rising stars, and this is the first installment of my Player Diary for ChicagoHoops.com. Right now, my main focus is lifting weights to add definition to my body, running to increase my stamina, and working to add more range and accuracy to my jump shot. I lift weights and run the hill at my school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I get 500 hundred jump shots up at the practice facility of the Rising Stars in Deerfield, Illinois on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. I go through this routine each and every week. The Lincoln Park basketball team should make a lot of noise this year, in our quest to win the state title. In addition to myself, we have Jelani Poston and James Henley in the frontcourt to go along with myself, Julius Hearns, and Jonathan Montgomery in the backcourt. Last year, it all came down to our young team not having any experience. This time, we have a year of experience under our belt, and now with unheralded senior Prentice Johnson, and Class of 2008 stud Jeremy Montgomery in the rotation we are now city and state title contenders. Over the course of the spring and summer I got a taste of how life in the NBA is. My AAU club, the Rising Stars travelled for tournaments to Florida for the 16-U SuperShowcase, Louisville for the Kentucky HoopFest, and to Las Vegas for the Easter Classic (in which both our 15-U and 16-U teams won the championship) just to name a few. My AAU team made a lot of noise this summer on the 15-U level. My teammates and friends Ceola Clark, Jeffrey Jordan, Javon Coney, and Corey Mader all held their own against the fierce competition we went up against. Next year, our goal is to win every local tournament we play in, and the AAU National Championship for our age bracket. In July, I went to Five-Star Basketball Camp. It was a great experience for me, and I feel as though I learned a lot. I would like to send shout outs to Michael Weinstein, the CEO of the Rising Stars, Coach Brian Davis the Director of Operations for the Rising Stars, and my mentors. In addition to Michael Skinner and Octavious Parker, both coaches with the Rising Stars . I would like to also send a shout out to my family, who are my biggest fans. They always show support and come to all of my games. Lastly, I would like to thank God for the opportunities in life that he has blessed me with. Well that’s all for now. I will be back with my second installment in the next couple of weeks. Thank you, Michael "Juice" Thompson Lincoln Park High School |
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