Bryce Thompson Reminisces on College Career ahead of Senior Day

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State fans should celebrate Bryce Thompson’s Cowboy career because with how college athletics are going, there might not be many more like it.

A Tulsa kid, Thompson has spent the past four seasons donning orange and black. He’s been in Stillwater at least twice as long as anyone else on the roster. Thompson has averaged double figures in each of his four seasons, and he’s averaging a career-high 12.3 points a game heading into his Senior Day contest against Cincinnati at 2 p.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

“It was a long journey,” Thompson said. “I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed my time here at Oklahoma State. Love the people. Love the fans. Love all the teammates I’ve played with, all the coaches on down the line. I’m really thankful for my time here, and I just wanna go out with a win.”

Thompson has scored 1,308 points as a Cowboy, which is good for 24th all time. He’s 70 points off tying Obi Muonelo (2006-10) and Bob Mattick (1951-54) for 20th on the Cowboys’ all-time scoring list. Thompson is among names like Corey Williams (1988-92), Terrel Harris (2005-09), JamesOn Curry 2004-07).

Reminiscing on his time as a Cowboy, Thompson pointed to the Cowboys’ trip to Waco in his sophomore season (his first in Stillwater) as his favorite memory. OSU upset No. 1 Baylor that day on the road, with Thompson pouring in 19 points. Thompson has had a dozen 20-point games for the Cowboys and has been the model of consistency when it comes to scoring, as he has 67 games at OSU in double figures.

I asked Thompson if he thought at all about his OSU legacy earlier this week. Here’s what he said.

“I try to focus more on who I was as a person and how the people around here will remember me,” Thompson said. “Alone from the basketball stuff, just how they were, how our interactions were, how I treated people — little things like that that really cement your legacy as people, as a good person. That’s kind of what I’ve tried to make sure I left a positive impact on how to treat people and just how to handle your business.”

Former OSU coach Mike Boynton often talked about how the sky-high expectations that Thompson’s five-star status as a recruit put on him would take away from people appreciating what he was doing. He was a McDonald’s All-American at Booker T. High School, becoming just the fourth player out of Tulsa in 43 years to pick up that honor.

Thompson initially went to Kansas out of high school, playing under Bill Self. Rod Thompson, Bryce’s dad, played under Self at Tulsa. Bryce was injured in his freshman season, and oddly enough the injury happened in Stillwater when he and Bernard Kouma were going after a loose ball. Thompson missed 10 of Kansas’ games. After scoring 4.6 points a game in that injury-riddle freshman season, Thompson transferred to OSU. He was the Pokes’ second-leading scorer as a sophomore, averaging 10.6 points a game. Then he led the Cowboys in scoring the next season, averaging 11.8 a game.

Thompson played just 18 games last season after suffering a gnarly shoulder injury in Allen Fieldhouse. He was hurt as a Jayhawk in GIA and was hurt as a Cowboy in Allen Fieldhouse.

This season has been Thompson’s best to date. He’s scored at least 20 points in five games and been in double figures for 21 of OSU’s 30 games to this point.

Through the highs and lows of Thompson’s career, he said he’s leaned on his faith and his family.

“There’s definitely times where you’re like, ‘What’s up, God? Like, what we doing right here?'” Thompson said with a smile. “Especially when I tore my shoulder up — at Kansas. But then again, you just gotta trust the process, understand that he’s in control and you just gotta keep going.”

The Cowboys haven’t won a lot while Thompson has been on campus, sure. But he’s an Oklahoma kid who stuck it out through injuries, an NCAA Tournament ban and a coaching change in an era where it would be easy for a player of Thompson’s caliber to chance mercenary work in the portal. He’s been as consistent of a scorer as the Pokes have had in some time, and hopefully his service to the program is celebrated for a long time to come.

“There’s things you can’t really control,” Thompson said. “I had a lot of injuries my first year at Kansas, so that kinda backtracked me then. My second year here at Oklahoma State, I don’t think we could go to the tournament. Lot of different things. I think all of that stuff is still out there for me. I think it’s just a matter of putting the work in every day and not focusing on the end goal but getting better each and every day, knowing that continual progress will lead you to where you want to be.”