LEBANON, Ohio — There is no doubt how much Lebanon sophomore Anthony Thompson loves the game of basketball.
"It pretty much means everything to me," said the 6-foot-7 small forward. "It's the No. 1 thing I have in my life."
That prioritized focus is evident for the 15-year-old, who is regarded as one of Ohio's top basketball players in the 2026 class.
"He's not a showboat type of guy," Lebanon coach Nathan Chivington said. "When he's on the court he lets his game take care of itself."
Thompson averages 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 assists for Lebanon (12-10) which plays Clayton Northmont (14-8) or West Carrollton (10-10) in a Division I district quarterfinal Feb. 28 at Centerville.
"He’s incredibly humble," Lebanon athletic director Keith Pantling said. "He’s going to leave quite the legacy at Lebanon because of who he is and how he conducts himself, not just his highlight reel and national recruitment."
Thompson has seven scholarship offers including the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State and Ohio.
Several other college programs are showing interest including Purdue, West Virginia and Dayton. Purdue coach Matt Painter traveled to Lebanon to watch Thompson during an offseason workout.
"I've coached a lot of 1,000-point scorers over the course of my career, been very fortunate," Chivington said. "But when it comes to a complete player with the height, the skill and everything else, he's probably the most talented player I've coached."
Thompson has grown up around the game. As a 6-year-old, he'd wake up his father, Brian Thompson, a former college basketball player, at 6:30 a.m. to get to a gym.
"He's always had the dedication and the will within him to get better," Brian Thompson said.
Anthony, who is right-handed but shoots left-handed, is five inches taller than he was as a freshman.
"Last year, I think I came in and I kind of was just one dimensional," Thompson said. "But I think this year I've turned into a more all-around player overall."
Thompson is stronger defensively and has used his length to grab rebounds. He's more difficult to guard this season. A two-time national free throw champion in grade school, shooting is Thompson's strength.
"Anthony — he is a gym rat," Chivington said. "He's constantly in the gym. He's kind of challenged me as a coach of committing time to getting here before practice. To stick around after practice because he wants that. He desires that. I'm willing to put in the time that he wants so he can be successful. Because if he's successful, ultimately that's going to help us be successful as well."
Thompson isn't just a star basketball player. He also has a 3.7 grade-point average and is well-liked by teachers, administrators and classmates.
"I like history. I like math a lot," Thompson said. "So I just like learning new things. I like to read books."
As a student of the game, it's no surprise that Thompson has gained plenty of insight into college basketball during the recruiting process.
"He's coming back from college visits and saying, 'Hey I learned this or I paid attention to this,'" Chivington said. "He does follow through with implementing that into his game and so we've seen improvements by him coming back with these lessons."
Thompson enjoys interacting with the college coaches and is learning from each experience of watching a game at the next level.
"It's kind of surreal to me because you kind of see the behind-the-scenes stuff from what you see on TV," Thompson said. "Where they work out, where they train, what the coaches are like."
University of Cincinnati coach Wes Miller complimented Thompson after the Bearcats' home game against Houston Feb. 10. Miller told Thompson how much the UC staff liked his game and that the sophomore has plenty of potential.
Indiana became the latest scholarship offer for Thompson this past weekend. He's taking the recruiting spotlight in stride.
"It's humbling," Thompson said. "I've worked for it so to be able to have those accolades come towards me, it means a lot."
Chivington believes Thompson has a promising future in basketball and beyond.
"He's extremely talented and we just want to encourage him with whatever path that he chooses," Chivington said. "And we're definitely a big Anthony Thompson fan."
