USD Ready for Hoosier Dome--Thompson

Scott Thompson thinks he has a pretty good idea of what to expect in the NCAA tournament--the Hoosier version of Over the Line.

Thompson, a senior center for the University of San Diego (24-5), already has visualized what the scene will be when he steps onto the floor in the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis for Thursday’s game against Auburn (17-12).

“Everybody will be screaming and wearing red jackets,” he said, a reference to the fact that Indiana will play Fairfield after the USD-Auburn game in the opening round of the Midwest Regional.

Thompson has seen the movie “Hoosiers” but hasn’t read “A Season on the Brink,” the best-selling account of a season with Indiana Coach Bob Knight and his team. Thompson is far from awed by the experience awaiting him and his teammates in the 43,000-seat Hoosier Dome.

He and three other USD seniors--Nils Madden, Eric Musselman and Steve Krallman--were members of the Torero team that lost to Princeton in the opening round of the 1984 NCAA tournament. That experience should prove helpful, according to Thompson and Madden.

The Toreros may not command a lot of national attention, but they believe they belong in the tournament field of 64. And they are going to Indianapolis with the intention of winning.

When Madden was asked if he was thrilled to be ending his career in Indiana, the Mecca of college basketball, he shot back: “You mean New Orleans?”

The Final Four will be played in the New Orleans Superdome March 28 and 30.

Although most observers would consider it one of the more miraculous stories in college basketball history if USD made it to New Orleans, the Toreros are convinced that they are not out of place in Indianapolis.

“I feel like we can play with the best of them,” Thompson said. “When we were freshmen, it was scary being in the NCAA tournament, but not this year.

“We don’t feel like there’s a big gap between USD and the so-called powerhouse teams. I think we have closed the gap. We’ve been referred to as the Aztecs and the Clippers and UCSD this year, but I think we have proved that we belong.”

Thompson expects to be nervous during the pregame warm-ups, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for him.

“It’s good to feel butterflies,” he said. “I have them before every game. You need to feel that way or you’re not ready to play.

“We’ll definitely feel the excitement, but we’re not going to change our approach or our routine. Hey, the baskets are still 10 feet high, aren’t they? Once the ball goes up, you block out everything anyway.”

Madden is aware of Indiana’s storied basketball tradition, but he doesn’t seem to regard playing in the NCAA tournament as a mystical experience. In fact, Madden, who says he doesn’t even watch basketball on television, seems almost blase about appearing in the NCAA tournament for a second time.

“I know there’s a lot of support by the fans in Indiana,” he said. “It’s very intense.”

In last weekend’s West Coast Athletic Conference tournament, the Toreros were upset by Pepperdine in the semifinals. They had entered the tournament with a 14-game winning streak and a 24-4 record. However, the loss to Pepperdine left the Toreros facing the possibility of not receiving an NCAA invitation. Going to the National Invitation Tournament instead would have been a disappointment.

“We were really wondering what was going to happen (in the 48 hours after Friday’s defeat),” Thompson said. “We didn’t want to be too down if we didn’t go to the NCAA tournament.

“Since we wound up being seeded ninth in the Midwest, we obviously were on the NCAA’s mind before the WCAC tournament, but we were uncertain what they might be thinking.” Auburn is seeded eighth.

“Now we have to win,” Madden said, “and I’m just happy we are getting a shot to prove ourselves against a real good basketball team. I know Auburn is a physical team, but we can match them.”

The Toreros may have been nervous in last week’s tournament, but they won’t play tight this week, Thompson predicted.

“We have nothing to lose now,” he said. “This is it. There will be no holding back. We’re going to play well.”

Thompson, the WCAC player of the year, is likely to receive a lot of attention from the media at the Midwest Regional. At 7-feet and 260 pounds, he is the biggest and most visible of the Toreros.

The expectations for any man his size are immense, but Thompson’s skills and personality don’t conform to the norm. He is more of a finesse player than a bruiser; he is an excellent passer and free-throw shooter, and his personality is laid-back, with an understated sense of humor.

“Scott has always been competitive, and he doesn’t back away from a challenge,” said Coach Hank Egan. “He’s been a late bloomer in his physical development, and he has improved considerably in aggressiveness this season.

“Everybody expects a 7-footer to run and jump and block shots, but Scott is not that type of player. But he catches and passes the ball well, and he’s like a guard playing inside, with good vision and the ability to hit the open man.”

Egan said it’s easy to be deceived by Thompson.

“A big guy may not look like he is hustling like a little guy, who is always diving on the floor for a loose ball,” Egan said. “Scott is not dynamic in his movement, but he is always working and moving his weight around. Down the stretch, he was really working the boards and playing good defense for us.”

Thompson has met Egan’s standard for team play, downplaying his own role on behalf of the other four players. He seems happier describing the team’s unity than in talking about his own aspirations or views.

“We were the surprise team in 1984, but this year we were expected to do well,” he said. “We put some pressure on ourselves, just like the media did.

“But I think the pressure is mostly off us now. We have nothing to worry about. We can’t play much worse than we did last week. It’s all-out now.”