Following the news that Taurean Thompson would transfer to Seton Hall from Syracuse, Seton Hall made it official on Tuesday.
Per NCAA transfer regulations, the 6-foot-10 New York City native will sit out the 2017-18 season as his “year in residence” and will then have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2018-19.
Thompson, whose family lives in New York City, returns closer to home and becomes the sixth member of the Pirates roster to hail from either New York or New Jersey, as the coaching staff continues investing in keeping talented Metro Area student-athletes near the greatest city in the world to play in the best basketball conference in the country.
“Taurean is a terrific addition for the Seton Hall men’s basketball program,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “He is long and athletic with good post skills and the ability to step out and shoot. We will work with him during his sit-out year to further his development both on the court and in the classroom and expect him to be ready to compete for Seton Hall next season.”
Thompson played his freshman year at Syracuse, where he averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while averaging 17.9 minutes per contest. His best scoring game came against Boston University on Dec. 10, 2016, when he had 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting. When ACC play came along, he continued to have strong games; he scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds at Virginia Tech on Jan. 10, 2017; poured in 18 points, blocked two shots and made two steals vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 24; and he had 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks at Georgia Tech Feb. 19 for his first career double-double.
Thompson also enjoyed success at the NIT vs. UNC Greensboro and Mississippi; he averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over the two postseason games while shooting 13-for-17 from the field (76.5 percent).
Thompson was a highly touted recruit coming out of Brewster Academy, where he played his 2015-16 season, earned second-team All-NEPSAC recognition and helped the team to a 25-10 record. After the season, he competed in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic Regional game and was named MVP after contributing 27 points and 13 rebounds. In the final recruit rankings, he was a consensus top 100 player with a ranking as high as No. 59 according to 247Sports.
Prior to attending Brewster Academy, Thompson attended St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, where he played for legendary head coach Bob Hurley. He helped the team to a 28-2 record in 2014-15 that included winning the NJSIAA Non-Public B North championship.
Thompson joins a powerful Seton Hall squad that is primed for success in 2017-18. The Pirates return 90 percent of their scoring from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including the only trio of active 1,000-point scorers in the country, and have a talented recruiting class poised to contribute. The Pirates are a consensus preseason top 25 team and will open the 2017-18 campaign against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 10 at Prudential Center.
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