Asbury men’s basketball alumnus Trenton Thompson graduated just last year, but unlike
most college athletes, he did not end his basketball career after his final college season. Rather
than saying goodbye to competitive basketball, Thompson landed a spot on the professional
PeU-Basket team in the Finnish 1st Division. To say that Thompson has seen success in his post-
college career would be an understatement.
“It has been an amazing experience,” said Thompson. “I’ve been able to learn a lot about
a different culture while playing the sport I love…I have been able [to get] outside my comfort
zone and really grow.”
While at Asbury, Thompson was named an All-Conference player three individual times
for the River States Conference and scored over 2,000 points in his career. He was also named an
NAIA All-American, which allowed him to participate in the NAIA All-Star game.
“Asbury prepared me in more ways than I had imagined,” said Thompson. “Coaches
Shouse and Abner helped me grow on and off the court so much I felt prepared for the next step
in my basketball career.”
Thompson entered the Finnish 1st Division league as a free agent and he was just
recently named Player of the Week for the fifth time this season. In their most recent game
against Ura Basket II, PeU-Basket won 99-92, helping them secure their spot as second in the
overall league. During this game, Thompson had 47 points, five rebounds, and two assists. He is
also the leading scorer for the entire league, averaging 31 points per game.
Not only does Thompson’s success reflect well on AU men’s basketball, it also serves a
recruiting tool for the team. Head men’s basketball coach Will Shouse said, “The players we get
still have a dream of playing after college. It’s very very small but there is an opportunity there
for good players to make a career for themselves if they do well here. We don’t have to sell it to
recruits. They see that Trent did it and they want their chance. Even though Trent worked so hard
on his own, he is still a product of the work our coaching staff put in with him.”
Aside from Thompson, AU men’s basketball can also point toward Phillip Morrison as an
example of post-college athletic success. After graduating in 2011, Morrison played
professionally for three years in the Philippines. He now runs his own business called Hoops for
Christ where he trains younger basketball players.
The success of athletes such as Thompson and Morrison not only projects a good name
for the AU basketball program, but it represents the success of Asbury athletics as a whole.
“Trent is still a billboard for Asbury University and our basketball program,” said Shouse. “As
he does well, it shows well for our program. We are so proud of him.”
Alum Thompson leading scorer in Finnish league
