MAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

7. James Thompson IV

A 6’10 center from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Thompson made his way north to Eastern Michigan to continue his own basketball career. Thompson started nearly every one of the 132 games he played for the Eagles and became the program’s prominent frontcourt weapon of the last decade.

Impressive already as a freshman, he averaged 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds in that first collegiate season. Thompson would actually average at double-double in all four of his collegiate seasons. His junior year was Eastern Michigan’s best, as the program won 22 games and nearly won the MAC, getting 14.5 points and 11.2 rebounds a game from Thompson. His final home game with the Eagles was a 20-point, 23-rebound performance against Ball State.

For four straight years, Thompson earned All-MAC honors, though the First Team nomination came only in his junior season. It won’t shock you to learn that Thompson was the MAC’s best rebounder throughout his career, totaling 1451 rebounds in those four years. He’s actually been the nation’s best offensive rebounder since the stat was officially totaled and played a major role for Eastern Michigan’s moderate success, though he never got his chance in the NCAA Tournament.