Mike Anderson was happy with Trey Thompson’s play in the win against Texas A&M on Wednesday.
He was so happy that during a postgame interview on the SEC Network he compared Thompson to legendary Hogs big man Oliver Miller, who was honored earlier in front of the Bud Walton Arena faithful.
Comparing Thompson to one of Arkansas’ all-time great players is probably a bit much, but with Big O sitting court-side it worked for Anderson, who was a UA assistant coach to Nolan Richardson when Miller starred in Fayetteville.
Thompson’s play is worthy of at least some kudos and is one of the reasons the Hogs are riding a four-game win streak. The 6-foot-9, 265-pound junior from Forrest City is playing slightly more minutes than his season average the past four games, and is doing the little things to complement starting center Moses Kingsley.
On Wednesday, Thompson dished out a career-high six assists.
That came on the heels of an Ole Miss win where Thompson contributed 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes of work.
Arkansas has needed a spark inside to reinforce Kingsley, and Thompson has provided that with his knack of helping in different ways lately. To have a big body who can come off the bench and stuff the stat sheet is invaluable.
Thompson’s passing ability is especially impressive for a big man. That could be where Anderson draws the comparison to Miller, who was known for his soft touch.
I first saw Thompson work-out when he was a sophomore in high school as a member of the Arkansas Hawks AAU program. He was tabbed as a “must-have” recruit for Anderson. It appeared Thompson would be a rangy scoring threat on the wing and inside.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way, but his physique has changed along the way. At 265 pounds, he has a physique similar to Miller, minus a few cheeseburgers, and has sort of shifted more inside. He still has a nice touch and there aren’t many bigs who can dish out six assists.
Thompson really should flourish next year when the paint will be his to patrol without the departed Kingsley. For now, he adds a nice punch off the bench.
Speaking of the bench, the entire unit is following Thompson’s lead. Daryl Macon added 12 points in a reserve role against the Aggies and Anton Beard made some key contributions in 21 minutes.
“You take their five and my five, from a talent standpoint they probably out-talent my guys,” Anderson said of Texas A&M. “But where we can get you is with the eighth, ninth and 10th guys we put out there. You think about it, they’re putting starting numbers up. Daryl Macon, he had 12 and 4 and had 30 the other night (against Ole Miss).”
Anderson has a point. And while I mentioned in this space that the #Fastest40 will never be confused with 40 Minutes of Hell, employing a large number of subs is something ripped from Richardson’s playbook.
It isn’t common today, but when you have players the caliber of Thompson, Macon and Beard coming off the bench battling with other team’s reserves, it can make a difference. If that trio continues to play well it is the kind of strategy that can lead to a deep SEC Tournament run and maybe help Arkansas’ seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Give credit, too, to Anderson for pulling the strings and knowing his personnel well enough to be able to bring a player such as Macon off the bench and him being comfortable with it. Also, being able to discern the right situation to bring someone in and how long to keep them there. Things are clicking for Arkansas. Winning cures all as they say and the streak has helped this club all the way around. It has taken pressure off everyone.
Thompson may never be Miller, but he has been important to this team - as have all of the reserves - and his play will likely be a big factor in how far this team can advance in the postseason.
Nate Olson is a contributor for WholeHogSports