Thompson Jr. Named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete Of The Year

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Stephen Thompson Jr. was selected the 2018-19 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced on Friday.

Thompson Jr., who completed his bachelor's degree in digital communication arts with a 3.57 grade-point average in just three years, is the first Oregon State recipient of the Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in men's basketball. Currently pursuing his master's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on speech communication and sociology, Thompson Jr. is 1-of-9 major conference players to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this season and is among 40 on the ballot for national Academic All- America honors.

The senior guard and three-time team captain from Los Angeles is second on the Beavers' roster in scoring (15.9 ppg) and ranks first with 59 three-pointers and 46 steals while leading the Pac-12 in minutes played (36.7) this season. He is OSU's career leader with 228 three-pointers and is the active leading scorer in the Pac-12 with 1,731 career points, a total which ranks fifth all-time at OSU and 53rd in Conference history.

Among the list of Thompson Jr.'s accolades are Pac-12 All-Academic First Team (2017, 2018), NABC Honors Court (2018), CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 (2018, 2019) and Pac-12 Player of the Week (1/14/19). He has also represented OSU at the league's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meetings as well as the Pac-12 All-Star Team tour of Australia in 2016.

His off-the-court activities have included volunteering at the Corvallis Boys and Girls Club and the Corvallis Caring Place, participation in Read With The Beavs at the Corvallis Library and a Pen Pal program with Linwood Elementary in Portland, and speaking to students at Linus Pauling Middle School in Corvallis about the importance of staying in school.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award. The winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season.

PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
2007-08 – Robbie Cowgill, WSU
2008-09 – Taylor Rochestie, WSU
2009-10 – Landry Fields, STAN
2010-11 – Rihards Kuksiks, ASU
2011-12 – Harper Kamp, CAL
2012-13 – Carrick Felix, ASU
2013-14 – Dwight Powell, STAN
2014-15 – Chasson Randle, STAN
2015-16 – Brandon Taylor, UTAH
2016-17 – Josh Hawkinson, WSU
2017-18 – Dorian Pickens, STAN
2018-19 – Stephen Thompson Jr., OSU

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Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

Players Mentioned

Stephen Thompson Jr.

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