Ben Thompson enters his first year on staff with the UNC
Pembroke men's basketball program during the 2011-12 season.
Thompson heads to UNCP following a one-year stint as the video
coordinator and assistant to the head coach at Virginia Tech in
Blacksburg, Va. There he was charged with assisting in-game and
practice preparation, running the film exchange program, assisting
with travel operations and additional duties that involved coaching
clinics, on-campus recruiting visits, and being director of the
Virginia Tech summer basketball camps. Last season, the Hokies
topped then-No. 1 ranked Duke by a 64-60 final at Cassell Coliseum
in Blacksburg.
During the 2009-10 season, Thompson served as an assistant coach
at Saint Leo, a NCAA Division II institution that competes in the
Sunshine State Conference in Saint. Leo, Fla. That season he
coached All-SSC forward Jordan Paris as well as all-freshman guard
Dominick Robinson and he recruited and signed 2010-2011 SSC
Freshman of the Year Nate Johnson. Despite a down season, the Lions
defeated No. 2 ranked Florida Southern in 2009-10.
Prior to his stop in Florida, Thompson was the Director of
Basketball Operations at UNC Greensboro during the 2008-09 season.
There he was primarily responsible with team travel, film exchange,
budgeting, video logging as well as directing the program's summer
camps. He also assisted with in-game and practice preparation,
scouting reports, player development, on-campus recruiting,
academic advising and scheduling. He also served as a lecturer in
the Physical Education department.
He got his start in collegiate coaching at his alma mater,
Virginia Tech, where he served as a graduate assistant and co-video
coordinator during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. In the former,
the Hokies advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament
after finishing the season third in the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) standings. In the latter, the Hokies advanced to the
quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
He is a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech where he earned a
bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies along with minors in
residential property management and leadership. He earned his
master's degree in education with a specialization in sports
promotion from Virginia Tech in 2007. He spent time as an
assistant coach at Blacksburg High School while he was an
undergraduate.
Thompson lettered in seven sports at Saint Paul High School in St.
Paul, Va. He was a three-year starter and two-year captain in
basketball while playing for his father, Rick.
