Cavaliers’ Thompson struggles in homecoming against Raptors

Cavaliers’ Thompson struggles in homecoming against Raptors
English.news.cn 2012-01-05 12:06:02
TORONTO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson returned home on Wednesday to face the team he grew up watching, the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.

The 20-year-old, 6-9 forward was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto and entered the game averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and nearly two blocks in the first five games of the season.

Thompson was selected fourth overall in the most recent entry draft, the highest position for a Canadian player since 1953 and second highest overall. Ahead of Thompson is hall of famer Bob Houbregs who was taken third overall in the 1953 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

In Wednesday’s game, the Brampton native struggled in 16 minutes off the bench with one point and three rebounds, leading to a 77-92 loss against the Toronto Raptors.

Despite the poor performance against the Raptors, Thompson’s status as a rising star represents a promising future for Canadian basketball going forward.

In the most recent December press release, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) lists 88 Canadian men and 79 Canadian women playing in Division 1 basketball schools.

NCAA Division 1 is the highest level of collegiate basketball in the world and has been the source of the majority of future NBA and WNBA players.

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