Remember My Name: Rider's Jason Thompson

Here at STF, we're all about college hoops, and we generally don't get all googly-eyed about someone's pro prospects unless we're using them as a metric for Final Four potential. But in the case of Jason Thompson, we think it's worth bringing up.

Rider's Jason Thompson is the real deal, which is a rarity at a small school. He averaged 21.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in his last two MAAC games for Lawrenceville, N.J.'s Rider Broncs. And he pretty much does that every week. Last season he averaged 20/10 over the entire season, and demanded attention in the offseason when he attended all of the pro-prep big man camps and played to his own demanding standard.

Last year, his heroic efforts led the Broncs to a .500 season across the board, but this year is different. Rider is on a nine-game win streak, and have a one-game lead on Siena, who they just beat. Friday will give them a chance to avenge their earlier loss to Charron Fisher and Niagara, then it's another meeting with Siena. This is all my way of saying the MAAC championship game might be a barn-burner this season.

Keep an eye on Jason Thompson. He has the size, the drive, and the all-around game to take his show to the big-time. And when he's gone, the Broncs shouldn't cry too much, because his little brother's on the team, too.