Hogs want more from Thompson
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson is hoping to see more of what forward Trey Thompson gave the team at Auburn last Saturday.
The Tigers beat the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 88-77 in Auburn Arena, but the 6-9 Thompson was a bright spot with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes off the bench.
It was the most minutes the senior from Madison has played in the last 10 games.
“Trey can orchestrate things on offense,” Anderson said. “He’s a great screener. He’s a tremendous passer.
“But Trey also can shoot the basketball. So I want him to be more assertive.”
Thompson is shooting 53.8 percent from the field (21 of 39), but he’s averaging just 2.6 shots per game. He made 3 of 4 field goals at Auburn and 2 of 2 free throws.
For the season, Thompson is averaging 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.5 minutes.
“Your senior year is that time to really showcase all the things you can do,” Anderson said. “That assertiveness is something we need. I think all it does is add more strength to our bench.”
Anderson said he has talked to Thompson about being more aggressive on offense like he was in the Auburn game.
“We’ve had a couple of meetings here lately,” Anderson said. “So hopefully we’ll see more of that Trey.”
Anderson said Thompson has shown in practice that he can have a bigger impact.
“So now it’s just got to be on display in the game,” Anderson said. “It’s not as easy as you think it is, but if there’s a guy that can do it, Trey is one of those guys.
“You’ve also got to remember you’ve got some other guys on this team who have seen the things he’s capable of doing and they’re echoing the same things I’m saying. ‘Hey, Trey, you’ve got to step it up for us in order for us to be that team that we want to be.’ ”