The Perfect Example for Pro Basketball Success (Trenton Thompson Story)

Trenton Thompson is a rookie pro basketball player in Finland. He has been a perfect example of how to go about becoming a pro basketball player from a small college. Thompson was a standout at Harrison County High School in Cynthiana, Kentucky. However, he was not highly recruited at all. He had a few NCAA D3 offers (no scholarship money) and NAIA Asbury University. He chose Asbury and Coach Will Shouse and made his first good decision to start his career.

At Asbury University, he took full advantage of his scholarship and scored 2,415 career points. He was named to the NAIA All American team and NAIA All Star Game. He was a three time All River States Conference selection and Player of the Year in 2018. More importantly his team won the West Division Championship in 2019. Coach Will Shouse and his staff helped develop Trenton during this time and he listened to every word.

After his college career he attended the 2019 SBS Pro Workout/Workshop in Louisville, Kentucky. He filled out the registration form and paid the fee without any questions. He came into the event in great shape and was one of the standouts from the start of the event. He came in ready to prove he could play and had no coolness about his game. He was ready to do anything it took to play pro basketball. He scored at a high level in the event and impressed Michael Stinnett (Free Agency Director of Scouting) and John Tinsley (Free Agency Southern Region Director of Scouting). A few weeks later he was offered an agency representation contract by Free Agency Basketball (Spain/FIBA Agent David Gonzalez) and he signed.

A few weeks later he was offered a pro basketball contract with Vilpas/PeU Basket in Finland. PeU Basket is in the Finland 1 league and is the feeder team for Vilpas (Korisliga team/top league in Finland). Thompson would play for PeU Basket all season but would also practice and play some for one of the top clubs in all of Finland (Vilpas). Thompson accepted the offer.

Since, he has been named Finland 1 Player of the Week 5 times. He is the leading scorer in Finland 1 averaging 31.0 and his team PeU Basket is 16-3. He has also appeared in 8 games for Vilpas in top league Finland and scored 10 points in a victory over Korihait in December. Needless to say he is having an amazing year for a player not recruited much at the high school level and a player from a small college. Below Michael Stinnett (Free Agency Basketball Director of Scouting) gives you his reasons why he is having the solid rookie pro season he is:

1. Humble - "He has no ego and listens to the right people. A perfect example is paying his fee and registering for the SBS Pro Workout. He wanted no handouts. He understood this is a business and he knew he was ready to show what he could do and was also eager to learn about the process. Another example was when he was offered the job in Finland. He jumped on it with no hesitation because he knew it was perfect, and he wanted to play because he knew he would prove himself."

2. Hungry - "This is a player who had to prove himself at every level. He had no entitlement issues. He has worked for everything he has ever got. His career has helped him still be eager to prove he is a player of a much higher level."

3. Faith - "Trenton is a Christian. He does the right things on and off the court. This has helped him probably more than anything with his overall attitude and the blessing of his first job.

4. Fundamental Game - "Trenton is fundamentally sound. He has been well coached at all levels. Coach Shouse and his staff helped him develop each season. He makes plays and does it with efficiency. He does it the simple way and not the flashy way (with a few nice dunks every now and then)".

5. Listened to the Right People - "Trenton listened to his college coaches and his agency. He trusted people that have experience in this business and not people who have no clue. So many players listen to guys who have no experience on pro basketball and basically no clue (this ruins players)".

"These are just a few of the reasons that Trenton has had success in his first pro season. He is a joy for David and I to represent and is exactly the type of player we look to represent. College seniors please let this sink in. This is a business and there is no longer any entitlement at the next level. The sooner you understand this the better off you will be in your career. " Michael Stinnett

The SBS Pro Workout/Workshop will be April 18th here in Louisville, Kentucky. This event is must attend for any player wanting to play overseas. Players will get exposure but more importantly will get insight from the workshop on all aspect of the overseas process. Register at this link https://michproa.wixsite.com/sbsproinvitational