More ($): Isaiah Thompson video
More ($): Friday at the Peach Jam
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The summer Isaiah Thompson once feared he'd lost has turned out OK so far.
While the Peach Jam here in Augusta was a mixed bag for his Indy Heat team, which didn't advance to Saturday's playoffs, Thompson's showing at Nike's signature grassroots event, all told, has to be considered a good one.
After missing the entire spring after breaking a bone and tearing a ligament in his ankle area, the Purdue guard recruit enjoyed his share of moments at the Peach Jam, highlighted his game-changing performance Friday night vs. Nike Team Florida.
After NTF pushed its first-half lead into the mid- to high teens, Thompson came out of the game following an 0-for-3 shooting start.
When he returned, though, he turned the game on its side, scoring 11 consecutive points for Indy Heat in the span of about 90 seconds, on three threes and a baseline runner off a shot fake.
Watch ($): Video of Thompson vs. Team Florida
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"I know that was a huge run for us," Thompson said. "It was a huge lift for our team and it definitely changed the game, a huge momentum-booster. I'm glad we were able to get this win tonight."
Indy Heat went on to win 73-63, with Thompson's scoring in the first half and command vs. pressure in the second half looming large. Trayce Jackson-Davis' 24 points — most of them on dunks — and sharp-shooter Jalen Windham's six threes didn't hurt either.
But it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that Indy Heat wouldn't have been in position to win, let alone won by double-figures, without Thompson's scoring burst late in the first half.
His finale in the tournament stood, then, as a stark contrast to his debut, a non-descript seven-point game in a loss to the Oakland Soldiers.
"I was trying to ease my way back into it, but that's tough when you've got some of the best players in the country out there," Thompson said. "But after that I felt like I did a really good job and was confident in myself. I was just more aggressive after that first game and felt good out there."
"Playing in the Peach Jam, people don't realize how hard it is to get a win down here. You're going against the best players in the country each and every game. I think I definitely proved I belonged here and that I'm one of the best guards out there. At the end of the day, it was really huge for me to be part of it."
And probably a relief.
After Thompson was injured during a workout at Zionsville High School, he feared he'd require surgery, which would have cost him the summer. When doctors found ligament issues, he seemed to expect surgery.
Now, though, he says he'd just about rounded back into form, a little less than three-and-a-half months or later.
"I just have to get past the soreness after I play and get back in shape," Thompson said, "but with the basketball part, I feel like I'm 100-percent."
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