Notre Dame Offer Catches Attention Of Top 2020 G Bryce Thompson

Bryce Thompson‍ worked to expand his game over the last couple years and that work has paid off as the 2020 Oklahoma guard has gathered scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the nation.

And on Monday, Notre Dame added its name to that list.

The 6-foot-5, 175-pound junior already had offers from schools like Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Colorado, Marquette, Houston, Iowa and Wake Forest among several others.

The excitement of landing a scholarship offer may not be the same as it was earlier in the process, but the Irish offer has caught his attention.

“I think this one is different,” Thompson’s father and director of Oklahoma Run PWP, Rod Thompson told Irish Sports Daily.

“Ryan Humphrey has done a tremendous job recruiting him. Bryce goes to the same high school that Ryan Humphrey went to. I’ve known Ryan forever and he’s done a tremendous job of recruiting Bryce.”

Humphrey kept the family informed throughout.

“He let us know about the process and how Coach (Mike) Brey wants to really evaluate guys,” Mr. Thompson continued. “They’re real big on fit guys.”

Brey watched Thompson in person last weekend and the offer was delivered shortly afterward.

“It definitely is special and pretty exciting just because we know what he did there and the tradition,” Mr. Thompson explained. “We know a little more about Notre Dame with Ryan as opposed to other schools that have offered that we don’t know anything about.”

The two sides are currently trying to map out a visit to South Bend.

“We’re going to try to figure out sometime to get up to campus to check it out and see what it’s about,” Mr. Thompson said. “We’re definitely going to try to make that happen.”

Thompson has already taken officials to Arkansas, Texas A&M and Colorado. Whether the trip to Notre Dame would be an official or unofficial hasn’t been determined yet.

If and when Thompson gets to South Bend, he’ll be looking for a fit on the court and off it.

“Academics is definitely at the top of that list,” his father said. “You want to look at the environment on campus and off campus. That’s the one thing we like about the official visits because you really get to spend time with the players and get to know the coaches on a different level.

“Those are things we’re looking for, how he fits with the coaches. I always say, ‘Wherever you go to school, you’ll be tied to those guys for the rest of your life, so you want good, quality guys.’”

And they understand those relationships extend well beyond the court.

“Those guys may be the guys to call someone and say you work extremely hard and ‘You need to hire this guy for a job,’” his father said. “Those things are extremely important.”

Mr. Thompson believes his son could excel in any style because of his versatility.

“He can score the basketball,” he said. “He’s really expanded his game to become a complete player. Freshman year, he was probably more of just a catch-and-shoot guy.

“He’s just really worked on his body and evolved his game. I would consider him a combo guard. He went from just being a straight shooter to being able to have the ball in his hands and making plays.”

There are no public leaders and isn’t a firm timeline just yet.

“We talked about doing it after the July session, but with all of the movement and all of the NCAA stuff, we would like to have it done before the start of his basketball season. We’ll see, but that’s what we’re shooting for.”