After guiding the Golden Eagles to their second California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament appearance in the past three years in 2009-10, Stephen Thompson enters his sixth season as head coach and ninth season overall with the Cal State L.A. men’s basketball program.
The Golden Eagles used one of the nation’s top defenses to power their way to a 14-14 overall record in 2009-10. Cal State L.A. was fifth in the NCAA Division II in field-goal percentage defense and 17th in the nation in scoring defense. Thompson led the Golden Eagles to several big wins last season, including a road win at eventual national champion Cal Poly Pomona. The win snapped a 19-game losing streak to the Broncos dating back to 1999.
Under Thompson’s direction, the Golden Eagles allowed their opponents to shoot only 38.6 percent and gave up only 62.5 points per game. Cal State L.A. also led the CCAA in rebounding with a margin of 5.2 rebounds per game.
The Golden Eagles were able to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign. Cal State L.A. lost its leading scorer halfway through the season and finished with a 12-15 overall mark. Thompson kept the short-handed Golden Eagles in the chase for a CCAA Tournament spot all the way to the final weekend.
The injury-plagued year was a disappointing follow-up to an outstanding 2007-08 season. The Golden Eagles posted a 17-11 overall record and finished in a tie for third in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. qualified for the CCAA Championship Tournament as a No. 3 seed and hosted a first-round game. The Golden Eagles finished the season ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II West Region and made their first appearance in a regional poll since 2000. The 17 wins were the most for the Golden Eagles since the 1999-2000 season and the third-place finish in the conference was the best since a second-place finish in 2000.
Thompson was able to lead the Golden Eagles to their best season in eight years despite losing two of the team’s top three scorers – one after just eight games and the other after 14 contests.
Thompson became the head coach of the program in March of 2005 following the retirement of former head coach Dave Yanai. In his first five seasons as the Cal State L.A. head coach, Thompson has led the team to an overall record of 63-74, including a 43-40 mark over the past three seasons. Under Thompson’s leadership, the Golden Eagles have seen their offensive productivity jump from 59.4 points per game in 2005 to 63.9 points per game last season. The Golden Eagles have also seen a big improvement in their defensive performance and allowed only 62.5 points per game last season compared to 71.7 points per game in 2005.
The Golden Eagles were 10-17 in 2006-07 in a season that included wins over CCAA champion Humboldt State (94-85) and Division-1 bound Cal State Bakersfield (70-63). Cal State L.A. also had its first All-American since 2003 when leading scorer Jontae Vinson earned honorable mention recognition. Vinson also became the first Golden Eagle to earn first-team All-Region honors since 2003 and the Golden Eagles placed two players on the All-CCAA teams for the first time since 2002.
In Thompson’s first season as head coach, the Golden Eagles took a big jump, improving nine games overall and becoming one of the most improved programs in the NCAA Division II. The Golden Eagles swept local rival Cal State Dominguez Hills and posted a big win over Cal State Bakersfield to highlight a 10-17 season.
Thompson joined Cal State L.A. as an assistant coach in 2002 and in his first season on the bench, the Golden Eagles ranked 46th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 67.3 points per game. In his second season, the Golden Eagles allowed just 65.4 points per game and moved up to 31st in the country in scoring defense.
A Los Angeles native and Crenshaw High School graduate, Thompson had his No. 32 jersey retired at the school last year. He was a three-year starter at Syracuse from 1986-90 and was a key part of the team that reached the 1987 NCAA Championship Game against Indiana and also the 1989 squad that advanced to a regional championship game before falling to Illinois.
Thompson earned honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press and The Sporting News in 1989 and 1990 and was the Big East Conference’s Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990. During his four years playing for legendary Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange won two Big East titles in 1987 and 1990, finished second in the conference in 1988 and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Sweet 16. Syracuse was a combined 113-31 overall and 45-19 in conference play during Thompson’s playing career.
Thompson currently owns the second-best career shooting mark in NCAA Tournament history (minimum of 70 makes). In 15 NCAA Tournament games, Thompson hit 78-of-114 field-goal attempts (.684). Former UCLA great Bill Walton leads that category with a .686 percentage in 12 games.
He also holds the Orange career mark for games played (144), is second in career field goals (801) and sixth in career scoring (1,956). At the end of his collegiate playing career, Thompson ranked third in Syracuse history in scoring and seventh in steals.
Professionally, Thompson had stints with the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets and also played in Europe, Japan, the CBA, the ABA and the Southern California Pro League.
Before joining the Cal State L.A. coaching staff, Thompson served as Athletic Director for the Coast Christian School in Redondo Beach, while continuing both his roles as Co-Founder and Director of Give & Go Basketball Academy and as coach for the Southern California All-Stars.
He also had a role in the 2002 basketball movie, “Like Mike.”
Thompson received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Syracuse in 1990.
He and his wife, Amy, have two children: Stephen Jr. and Ethan.