Becoming The Captain
Tanner Thompson Learned How To Become A Leader
Rain, hail, sometimes snow. It’s just home for Whittier College junior, Tanner Thompson, the 6'5" captain of the men’s basketball team. Thompson grew up in the suburbs of Seattle. It’s different there. Yes, it rains all the time, but as far as Thompson is concerned, the fresh air is pretty unbeatable compared to other big cities. Also and you pretty much know where you stand with your neighbors — you either like each other, or you don’t. No need for insincerity. Here, it’s sunny all the time. And that’s good. It makes Thompson happy. But there’s also so much competition, and everything is expensive. But Thompson is adapting, and growing.
As a kid, he lived just a 15-minute drive to the city, so he could go catch a sporting event or go see the Seattle Supersonics before they left for Oklahoma City. The local 24 Hour Fitness was close, too, and he enjoyed playing pickup basketball everyday there after he completed his homework. This is where Thompson would practice his dunking because the rims are a little lower at 24 Hour. Playing there helped build his confidence. He could play free and grown into the player he is, enjoy the game that he loves.
Good players help themselves. Great players look out for their teammates.
Thompson says Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine is a big inspiration. LaVine grew up in Renton, Washington, just south of Seattle. When he was younger, Thompson got an autograph, but, even better, he got to see what a very good player from his area looked like. He might have needed the example. Both Thompson’s parents were competitive athletes. His dad played hoops for Washington State and his mom played volleyball in college.
He was talented and there was pressure, but at first the focus was on himself. “Then, I was not as much of a leader,” he says. “I would score points, but I was more looking at myself as a player not looking at the whole team, and that’s what you need in order to win games.”
These days, one of Thompson’s favorite quotes is: Good players help themselves. Great players look out for their teammates. I’m glad this is one of his favorite quotes because I play on the Poets’ squad with Thompson and that is the difference between a good player and a great player.
In high school, Thompson’s team was young and he got a lot of playing time. He played against players such as Kevin Porter Jr., Michael Porter Jr., (no relation), Paolo Banchero, all NBA stars from the Seattle region. Thompson says he started to thrive in American Athletic Union (AAU) competition because it was a freer style of play. “I just got to play basketball during AAU,” he says. “That’s how the coach [head coach Mark Jensen] saw my highlights and I was able to play college basketball.”
Playing against NBA-caliber talent showed Thompson how good you have to be one of the best. In his area, that meant being named Mr. Washington, or Mrs. Washington, which goes to the state’s top high school basketball player. While Thompson was training for Mr. Washington, his little sister was training to be Mrs. Washington. Tatum looked up to him and competed with him. Whatever they did, if Thompson beat her, she would practice until she could beat him. She was small growing up, but grew to be 6' 1" and could dunk a tennis ball.
As for Mr. Washington, Thompson didn’t quite get there, but Tatum did. She was also runner up for Gatorade Player of the Year, and now plays Division One at Boise State University. “It was really cool to watch how me having such a drive to be a good player inspired someone close to me,” he says.
“That is what I like about being team captain, is putting yourself in other people’s shoes and combining as one unit.”
Thompson had a couple of options out of high school but, obviously, he chose to attend Whittier College. He says he wanted to go to a school further away from home because he feels like you can only truly grow if you expand your perspectives and get around different kinds of people.
When Thompson got here, the team was good, so he knew he had to play his best to even have a chance. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy like in high school. “I just need to go in the game, do my job and prove that I deserve more,” he says was his mindset from the jump. “And always have fun.”
Now, as a junior, he finds himself in a leadership role. Being named team captain is not something those who knew him in high school might have expected. Back then, he was more focused on himself. Now, he says he takes in others’ perspectives. “Once I started to look at it that way, I was able to build a connection on and off the court with my teammates. That is what I like about being team captain, is putting yourself in other people’s shoes and combining as one unit.”
Head coach Mark Jensen sees the difference, too. “Longevity helps a program and Tanner has been one of those guys that stuck around,” says Jensen. Tanner is now in his third year at Whittier. “The longer you are around the easier it is, you see guys come and go, and see new guys come in and you need someone who is open minded and not selfish about it… Tanner is someone that bridges the gap between people and that is important in a locker room.”
Teammate Aamari Smith says, “I like Tanner as a person even more than as a captain. I love how he always brings energy to any given situation and as a captain I love that he finds a way to incorporate encouraging words everytime he talks. There is never a dull moment with Tanner.”
Thompson is majoring in business with a concentration in marketing. He’s not sure what he wants to do when he graduates — maybe be on his feet, travel a little bit, move around, maybe some desk time, option to work from home? He knows he does not want to sit at a desk all day he wants to keep his body moving.
Another thought is to be a firefighter. “It would be somewhat like basketball,” he says, where you are on a time schedule everyday, on call, and just like in a game when you are called upon you have to be ready. Business is appealing because he can see how his dad provided for him, but he wants to feel like he’s doing with a larger purpose. The firefighter idea came from his Grandma who was a firefighter. She asked him what he wants to do in life, to which he said, “It may sound corny, but I feel like I want to do something where I am with people and helping people.”
