Merced’s Thompson signs with Simpson University

Lexi Thompson’s first college visit was to Simpson University in Redding. The Merced High School basketball star felt right at home and instantly could see herself playing college basketball there.

Thompson visited four more colleges, but none could measure up to the feeling she got at Simpson.

“I just kept going back to my visit to Simpson after every college visit,” Thompson said. “I had such a great time. When I left, I felt that could be my home, but I didn’t want to miss any other opportunities. I didn’t want to make up my mind right away.”

Thompson made her choice official when she signed her national letter of intent with Simpson in front of many friends and family Friday evening at Merced High.

“This is something I’ve always wanted, to play college basketball,” Thompson said. “It’s a dream come true. Everyone dreams of playing Division I college basketball and, of course, that was my dream, too. But you shoot for the moon and land among the stars, right? This is still a great opportunity to play.”

Thompson was a four-year starter for the Bears and helped lead Merced to the playoffs three times. Thompson led the Bears in scoring at 17.9 points per game this past season to earn an all-Central California Conference first-team honor.

“She’s been a leader since she stepped on the court,” Bears coach Rob Pierce said. “She has a great personality, and she loves to play basketball. It’s rare to have someone with her maturity. Hopefully, her skill and character she possesses will rub off on our younger players.

“Hopefully, they’ve seen what she’s done and how hard she’s worked, and they now know what it takes to get to the next level.”

Thompson knew what she wanted from a young age. When she wasn’t playing basketball for Merced High, she was playing travel ball with the Modesto Magic and one of the top coaches in the Central Valley in Modesto Christian’s Robb Spencer.

Thompson’s scoring average increased each season at Merced. She averaged 12 points as a freshman on a team that finished 20-8 under Brad Reed in 2013. She then scored 12.6 points per game as a sophomore to help lead the Bears to a CCC championship under Pierce. Thompson jumped to 17.6 points her junior year and finished her career with 1,596 points.

“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player,someone who is mature at a young age and someone who has a plan,” Pierce said. “I believe that every day she worked to achieve this goal.”

Despite all her basketball accomplishments, Thompson was still able to devote considerable time to her leadership class at Merced. She’s currently the student body vice president and has maintained a 3.7 GPA.

As another chapter of her life opens in college, she’s happy she spent the last four years playing at Merced.

“I just think of all the people I played against and all my teammates,” Thompson said. “It was a really good experience. I’m glad Merced High School was part of my basketball career.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 8:51 PM with the headline "Merced’s Thompson signs with Simpson University."