great article on JT he did go against competition in pickup games including LEBRON JAMES.
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/530496
Thompson's trophy case got much bigger after his stellar senior campaign, when he walked away Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. He garnered All-American and All-District III accolades, in addition to being named the United States Basketball Writers Association District II Player of the Year.
Thompson credits his emergence to work at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio, attended by the best high school prospects in the nation and elite college players are selected as mentors.
Thompson honed his skills playing pickup games with All-Americans Drew Neitzel of Michigan State and Brook Lopez of Stanford, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova, Wesley Matthews of Marquette, Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut, Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis and JaJuan Smith of Tennessee, along with James himself.
After one outstanding game last summer, FoxSports.com reported, "Thompson's play was a shock to college coaches and NBA scouts in attendance. He wasted little time scoring over LeBron James and also was solid defensively on the NBA star."
Playing on both ends of the court is nothing new for Thompson. In 2006-07, he was one of just three collegiate players to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game -- only four other athletes accomplished that feat last season. As a senior, he registered at least 20 points with at least 20 rebounds in three games (vs. Delaware, 23 points/21 rebounds; at Siena, 23/21; vs. Niagra, 26/24).
At Lenape High School, Thompson averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game, leading head coach Bill Lange's squad to a 28-1 record when they captured their first ever Group IV state title. He was named second-team All-South Jersey and first-team All-State Group IV that year and was selected to play in the New Jersey North-South All-Star game. As a junior, he averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots per game.
Thompson appeared in 30 games as a true freshman at Rider University in 2004-05. He was named Freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com and garnered All-MAAC honors, in addition to making the league's All-Tournament and All-Rookie squads. He averaged 9.1 points per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field, and averaged 7.4 rebounds and blocked 29 shots.
As a sophomore, he was a second-team All-MAAC choice. He led the team and ranked second in the conference with 48 blocks in 27 contests. He shot 54.6 percent from the field (159-of-291) and 70.3 percent from the free-throw line for 448 points, an average of 16.6 points per game. He pulled down 226 boards (8.4 per game) and dished out 43 assists.
In 2006-07, Thompson earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was a second-team All-District III choice. He was a member of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-American squad as he emerged as a dominant force on both ends of the court. He averaged 20.1 points per game, making 221-of-425 field goals (52.0 percent) and 176-of-243 shots from the charity stripe. He grabbed 312 rebounds (10.1 per game), blocked 67 shots and handed out 65 assists.
As a senior, Thompson continued to rank with the nation's elite in both rebounds and scoring. He ranked second nationally with an average of 12.1 rebounds per game and was 29th in the NCAA in scoring with a 20.4-point average. He shot 56.0 percent from the field and placed 18th nationally with an average of 2.7 blocked shots per game.