The potential of Ohio-based 2026 wing Anthony Thompson somehow seems even greater after a year away from home at prep school.
The 6-foot-8 and 205-pound Thompson gained 18 pounds over the last year at Western Reserve. With a 7-foot-3 and-a-half wingspan and perimeter skills, he checks all the boxes of a potential pro and the attention of several prominent high major college programs.
Thompson is currently a 5-star, ranked No. 12 overall in the 2026 class, and the No. 5 small forward according to the average of the national outlets.
The prior Indiana staff offered Thompson in February of 2024, and he has taken multiple visits to the Bloomington campus already. Indiana didn’t continue recruiting many of the 2026 prospects offered by the prior staff. But when IU hired Darian DeVries, his new crew was able to jump right in and stay in the middle of what has become a highly competitive pursuit of Thompson.
Thompson was being recruited by new IU assistant coach Drew Adams when he was at Cincinnati, and that helped ease the the transition.
“Coach DeVries, I’ve developed a good relationship with him and his staff at Indiana,” Thompson told TDH this week at the Adidas 3SSB event in Rock Hill S.C.
Ahead of his junior season, Thompson transferred from his hometown of Lebanon, Ohio to Western Reserve in the northeastern part of the state. While still a bit on the thin side, Thompson is noticeably bigger than a year ago.
“It got me a lot stronger,” he said of his year at prep school. “It got me ready for college.”
Thompson previously named his top-15 schools in April and says he will probably go down to seven or eight in the near term.
He hasn’t been on a visit since January but his recruitment is about to hit the road. He says he is planning to narrow down his list of schools and begin scheduling visits very soon, probably later this month. A fall decision is likely at this point.
Along with Indiana, Thompson’s top-15 schools named in April included Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, BYU, North Carolina, Louisville, Auburn, Kentucky, Xavier, Texas, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Georgetown.
Playing for Indiana Elite this spring and summer, Thompson has been one of the top scorers on the Adidas circuit. He’s averaging 21.3 points to go with 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
He says his relationship with the coaches and their playing style will be the biggest factors in his college decision. What is the playing style that fits him best?
“A playing style like I play now (for Indiana Elite),” he said. “Being able to play on the perimeter on offense, and guard multiple positions.”
Spring highlights: IU basketball class of 2026 5-star target Anthony Thompson
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