WKU Basketball: This is Darius Thompson’s World, We’re Just Living In It
We all should have seen this coming. Darius Thompson, the one-time Tennessee Volunteer and Virginia Cavalier, should have been considered a…
We all should have seen this coming. Darius Thompson, the one-time Tennessee Volunteer and Virginia Cavalier, should have been considered a more important part of the WKU game plan as the preparation for the sesaon began.
Well, we now know what Thompson can do, and that’s light the world on fire. He may not be the face of this Toppers’ team, but as Darius goes, WKU goes.
At least, as of late.
The Tops are riding a three-game winning streak with Marshall on the horizon this weekend, and in those three games, Thompson has posted stat lines of 21, 11 and 15.
That first number came in 40 minutes against Austin Peay, where he shot 60% from the floor and 42.9% from three, adding six rebounds.
That final stat came, mostly, in the second half, when he heated up from three and delivered bucket after bucket when the Tops were building their lead against Southern Miss.
In both contests, Darius added seven assists.
And, while the 21-point performances (he’s scored 17 points or more on five occasions this year) are nice and more than welcomed, it’s the assists where he’s proving to be most valuable.
Thompson leads the team in assists per game (4.8) and total assists (72), and is responsible for 219 points produced, which also leads the Tops.
While it’s a small sample size, Darius is second on the team in PProd in the C-USA schedule (29), behind only Dwight Coleby (32).
It’s the points produced — be it from his own hand or his helping hand — that is helping him quietly lead this team. He may not be the first name you think of when you consider the key figures. He might not even be the second or third. But he’s the engine that makes this offense go.
If the Tops are going to continue to have success into the C-USA campaign, Darius is going to need to continue to ride the hot hand, and be the quite point-producer that he’s been through the first 10 games of the season.