Men's Basketball
Thompson, Stephen
Stephen Thompson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- 541-737-2076
Stephen Thompson enters his 11th year with the Oregon State men’s basketball program. He returned to the role of assistant coach in 2023-24, after serving as Assistant Athletic Director - Player Development in 2022-23. Thompson also served as assistant coach for his first eight years with the program.
In his return to the assistant coaching ranks, Thompson helped the Beavers continue their growth in 2023-24. Jordan Pope was named an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, and Oregon State's season was highlighted by a Jan. 25 win over No. 9 Arizona.
During his first year as Assistant Athletic Director - Player Development, Thompson expanded the Beavers' community service efforts. He also helped encourage the squad to have success in the classroom, as the team posted its best term GPA in over 14 years during the fall of 2022.
In his first eight years at Oregon State, Thompson has helped lead the Beavers to five of their best seasons in the past three decades.
In his first season, Thompson helped lead the Beavers to a 17-14 record and set the school record for their best start at Gill Coliseum (14-0) and the most home wins in a single season (15). Oregon State defeated No. 7 Arizona for its first win over a top-10 team in 15 years, and knocked off Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the same season for the first time since 1990.
In his second season, the Beavers garnered their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in 26 seasons after winning their most games (19) since 1990 and their most conference contests (9) since 1993. Oregon State also won a game in the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time in four years and knocked off a top-25 team (No. 21 USC) for the second straight season.
In 2018-19, Oregon State had its best conference record (10-8), best conference finish (tie for fourth) and best conference road record (5-4) since 1990. The Beavers started 3-0 in Pac-12 for the first time since 1993, swept a conference road swing (at Colorado, at Utah) for the first time since 2009, and swept the season series from rival Oregon and USC.
During the 2019-20 season, the Beavers opened the season 10-2, their best start since 1984-85, defeated two Top 25 teams (82-65 vs. No. 24 Arizona; 63-53 vs. No. 14 Oregon), swept Stanford and set the program record for free throw percentage. Oregon State had a three-game winning streak, including an exciting win over Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament, before the season was ended due to COVID-19.
In a historic 2020-21 season, Oregon State won nine-straight road and neutral-site games that included the program’s first-ever Pac-12 Conference Tournament title and three wins in the NCAA Tournament. The run to the Elite Eight featured wins over Tennessee, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Loyola Chicago. The Beavers were No. 20 in the final Associated Press poll, the first time they were ranked in any poll since 1990.
His oldest son, Stephen Jr., concluded his four-year Oregon State career in 2019 as the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made (230) and fourth in career scoring (1,767). Thompson Jr. was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in 2019 for his work in the classroom, in the community and on the court.
His youngest son, Ethan, finished his four-year Oregon State career in 2021 and is seventh in scoring (1,716), third in assists (499), eighth in 3-pointers made (168), fifth in free throws made (444), first in games started (127), tied for fifth in games played (127) and second in minutes played (4,301). He received an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award in 2019 and was awarded the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in 2021.
Thompson, who was hired at Oregon State on June 19, 2014, is known as one of the best college basketball players in Syracuse University history. After playing professionally in the NBA, CBA, ABA and overseas, he was an assistant coach at Cal State L.A. for three years before taking over the program as the head coach in 2005.
Thompson went 126-120 in his nine years as the head coach at Cal State L.A. and his teams regularly ranked at or near the top of Division II in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense each season. He led the Golden Eagles to the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament five consecutive years from 2010-14 and his teams had a winning record in each of his final four seasons.
His best campaign at Cal State L.A. came in 2011-12 when Thompson directed the Golden Eagles to a 17-10 overall record and 13-9 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, its best conference record since 2001. The team went 16-11 overall in 2012-13, and matched its CCAA record from the previous season at 13-9. The Golden Eagles went 15-12 overall in his final season in 2013-14.
Cal State L.A. won its first-ever conference tournament game when it beat Cal State San Bernardino, 66-60, in San Bernardino in 2011 and finished the 2010-11 season with a 15-13 record after posting a 14-14 mark in 2009-10.
Thompson had his first winning season in 2007-08 when he led the Golden Eagles to a 17-11 record and a tie for third in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. finished that season ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II West Regional and made its first appearance in a regional poll since 2000. The 17 wins were the most for the Golden Eagles since the 1999-2000 season and the third-place finish in the conference was the best since finishing second in 2000.
In his first season as the head coach, the Golden Eagles had one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division II basketball by improving nine games overall from the previous year. The team swept local rival Cal State Dominguez Hills and upset Cal State Bakersfield to highlight a 10-17 season.
Thompson began his coaching career in 2002 when he joined the Cal State L.A. staff. After three years as an assistant he was promoted to head coach in March 2005 following the retirement of Dave Yanai.
A native of Los Angeles, Calif., and a Crenshaw High School graduate, Thompson had his No. 32 jersey retired at the school. He went to Syracuse University and became a three-year starter on the Orangemen basketball team while earning All-America honors in 1989 and 1990 and being named the Big East Conference’s Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1990.
During his four years at Syracuse, the Orangemen went 113-31 overall, won Big East titles in 1987 and 1990, made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Sweet 16, and reached the 1987 NCAA Championship Game against Indiana.
Thompson is second all-time at Syracuse with 144 games played and seventh in scoring with 1,956 points. He still owns the second-best career shooting mark in NCAA Tournament history at 68.4 percent in 15 games, trailing only UCLA’s Bill Walton who had a 68.6 percent clip in 12 games.
After graduating from Syracuse in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Thompson had stints with the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. He also played in Europe, Japan, the CBA and the ABA.
Before joining the Cal State L.A. coaching staff in 2002, Thompson served as Athletic Director for the Coast Christian School in Redondo Beach. He was also a Co-Founder and Director of Give & Go Basketball Academy and a coach for the Southern California All-Stars.
Thompson was born on Dec. 2, 1968 in Los Angeles, Calif. He and his wife, Amy, have two sons, Stephen Jr. and Ethan.
In his return to the assistant coaching ranks, Thompson helped the Beavers continue their growth in 2023-24. Jordan Pope was named an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, and Oregon State's season was highlighted by a Jan. 25 win over No. 9 Arizona.
During his first year as Assistant Athletic Director - Player Development, Thompson expanded the Beavers' community service efforts. He also helped encourage the squad to have success in the classroom, as the team posted its best term GPA in over 14 years during the fall of 2022.
In his first eight years at Oregon State, Thompson has helped lead the Beavers to five of their best seasons in the past three decades.
In his first season, Thompson helped lead the Beavers to a 17-14 record and set the school record for their best start at Gill Coliseum (14-0) and the most home wins in a single season (15). Oregon State defeated No. 7 Arizona for its first win over a top-10 team in 15 years, and knocked off Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the same season for the first time since 1990.
In his second season, the Beavers garnered their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in 26 seasons after winning their most games (19) since 1990 and their most conference contests (9) since 1993. Oregon State also won a game in the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time in four years and knocked off a top-25 team (No. 21 USC) for the second straight season.
In 2018-19, Oregon State had its best conference record (10-8), best conference finish (tie for fourth) and best conference road record (5-4) since 1990. The Beavers started 3-0 in Pac-12 for the first time since 1993, swept a conference road swing (at Colorado, at Utah) for the first time since 2009, and swept the season series from rival Oregon and USC.
During the 2019-20 season, the Beavers opened the season 10-2, their best start since 1984-85, defeated two Top 25 teams (82-65 vs. No. 24 Arizona; 63-53 vs. No. 14 Oregon), swept Stanford and set the program record for free throw percentage. Oregon State had a three-game winning streak, including an exciting win over Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament, before the season was ended due to COVID-19.
In a historic 2020-21 season, Oregon State won nine-straight road and neutral-site games that included the program’s first-ever Pac-12 Conference Tournament title and three wins in the NCAA Tournament. The run to the Elite Eight featured wins over Tennessee, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Loyola Chicago. The Beavers were No. 20 in the final Associated Press poll, the first time they were ranked in any poll since 1990.
His oldest son, Stephen Jr., concluded his four-year Oregon State career in 2019 as the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made (230) and fourth in career scoring (1,767). Thompson Jr. was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in 2019 for his work in the classroom, in the community and on the court.
His youngest son, Ethan, finished his four-year Oregon State career in 2021 and is seventh in scoring (1,716), third in assists (499), eighth in 3-pointers made (168), fifth in free throws made (444), first in games started (127), tied for fifth in games played (127) and second in minutes played (4,301). He received an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award in 2019 and was awarded the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in 2021.
Thompson, who was hired at Oregon State on June 19, 2014, is known as one of the best college basketball players in Syracuse University history. After playing professionally in the NBA, CBA, ABA and overseas, he was an assistant coach at Cal State L.A. for three years before taking over the program as the head coach in 2005.
Thompson went 126-120 in his nine years as the head coach at Cal State L.A. and his teams regularly ranked at or near the top of Division II in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense each season. He led the Golden Eagles to the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament five consecutive years from 2010-14 and his teams had a winning record in each of his final four seasons.
His best campaign at Cal State L.A. came in 2011-12 when Thompson directed the Golden Eagles to a 17-10 overall record and 13-9 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, its best conference record since 2001. The team went 16-11 overall in 2012-13, and matched its CCAA record from the previous season at 13-9. The Golden Eagles went 15-12 overall in his final season in 2013-14.
Cal State L.A. won its first-ever conference tournament game when it beat Cal State San Bernardino, 66-60, in San Bernardino in 2011 and finished the 2010-11 season with a 15-13 record after posting a 14-14 mark in 2009-10.
Thompson had his first winning season in 2007-08 when he led the Golden Eagles to a 17-11 record and a tie for third in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. finished that season ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II West Regional and made its first appearance in a regional poll since 2000. The 17 wins were the most for the Golden Eagles since the 1999-2000 season and the third-place finish in the conference was the best since finishing second in 2000.
In his first season as the head coach, the Golden Eagles had one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division II basketball by improving nine games overall from the previous year. The team swept local rival Cal State Dominguez Hills and upset Cal State Bakersfield to highlight a 10-17 season.
Thompson began his coaching career in 2002 when he joined the Cal State L.A. staff. After three years as an assistant he was promoted to head coach in March 2005 following the retirement of Dave Yanai.
A native of Los Angeles, Calif., and a Crenshaw High School graduate, Thompson had his No. 32 jersey retired at the school. He went to Syracuse University and became a three-year starter on the Orangemen basketball team while earning All-America honors in 1989 and 1990 and being named the Big East Conference’s Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1990.
During his four years at Syracuse, the Orangemen went 113-31 overall, won Big East titles in 1987 and 1990, made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Sweet 16, and reached the 1987 NCAA Championship Game against Indiana.
Thompson is second all-time at Syracuse with 144 games played and seventh in scoring with 1,956 points. He still owns the second-best career shooting mark in NCAA Tournament history at 68.4 percent in 15 games, trailing only UCLA’s Bill Walton who had a 68.6 percent clip in 12 games.
After graduating from Syracuse in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Thompson had stints with the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets. He also played in Europe, Japan, the CBA and the ABA.
Before joining the Cal State L.A. coaching staff in 2002, Thompson served as Athletic Director for the Coast Christian School in Redondo Beach. He was also a Co-Founder and Director of Give & Go Basketball Academy and a coach for the Southern California All-Stars.
Thompson was born on Dec. 2, 1968 in Los Angeles, Calif. He and his wife, Amy, have two sons, Stephen Jr. and Ethan.
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