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In a sense, maybe they did.
On the big-screen television, NBA commissioner David Stern stepped to the lectern and said the words everyone had gathered to hear: "With the 12th pick in the NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings select Jason Thompson, forward, Rider University."
Instant bedlam.
"According to our research, Rider never has had an NBA draft pick, much less a first-rounder," said Brian Solomon, the Broncs' assistant sports information director. "We did have two NBA players [Herb Krautblatt, who joined the pre-NBA Basketball Association of America's Baltimore Bullets in 1949, and Angelo "Ace" Tramontana, who was with the old BBA from 1937 to '42], but that was really long ago."
OK, so Rider isn't known for churning out NBA-caliber players, but neither is any school in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
"I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a tremendous boost for our basketball program and our university," Rider coach Tommy Dempsey said. "But the thing that means the most is how important this is to Jason and his family."
The 6-11, 250-pound Thompson is that rarest of first-rounders in these days of teenaged phenoms who spend a single year in college on their way to NBA riches. He played all four seasons at Rider, transforming himself from a 6-8, 210-pound beanpole as a freshman into as physically developed a big man as ever becomes a newly minted pro these days.
"I think Thompson had the best combination of skills for our team," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said.
"There have been a lot of really terrific players who have come into the NBA from small schools, like Karl Malone, Dennis Rodman. He really is a multidimensional type player."
"The fact he was in college for 4 years, developing his body, is a definite advantage," Dempsey said. "So many of the kids who are drafted now are only a year or two out of high school. When Jason was that age, he wasn't physically ready for the NBA."
An hour and a half after his name was called, the Lenape High product arrived at the restaurant from his Mount Laurel, N.J., home in style - a stretch limo. As he unfolded himself from the back seat, Rider officials and fans yelled "Jason Thompson! Jason Thompson!"
"My heart stopped when it happened," Thompson, resplendent in a gray, pinstriped suit, said of his reaction when Stern announced his selection by the Kings. "I knew I had a few good workouts [18 in 15 days, as a matter of fact]. The Kings invited me back for a second look.
"I've had the ball in my hands since I was young. Now I'm here where I want to be. The journey's just starting."
Was he surprised he went so early?
"I had it in my mind a little bit," Thompson said. "Everybody said I was a solid first-rounder. But the lottery . . . damn."
Perhaps it wasn't that surprising Thompson went earlier than many projected. The numbers he put up for the Broncs over the past two seasons suggest he is not merely a long-term project, but someone who can contribute to his new team in quick order.
As a junior, Thompson, a power forward with a sweet stroke from the perimeter, averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. That made him one of only three Division I players with 20/10 averages. The others were Texas' Kevin Durant and Nevada's Nick Fazekas.
Determined to improve his game, Thompson spent the summer attending camps run by NBA superstars LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire.
Thompson improved his numbers to 20.4 points and 12.1 rebounds (second nationally), in addition to shooting 56 percent from the floor. But going off on, say, Monmouth isn't the same as lighting up NBA competition.
What impressed the scouts was Thompson's performance in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., in November. In three games against teams from power conferences, Thompson averaged 23 points, 10.7 boards and 3.0 blocks against North Carolina State, Penn State and Kansas State. More significant, he outplayed heralded freshman forward Michael Beasley, of K-State, who went to the Miami Heat with the second pick last night. *
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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