Camas senior Keirra Thompson, heart, walks along with her mother and father Carrie Thompson, left, and Scott Thompson throughout a senior evening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, earlier than a sport towards Union at Camas Excessive Faculty.
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CAMAS — As a mother of a varsity level guard and spouse of a highschool basketball coach, sport days can convey out totally different feelings for Carrie Thompson.
What by no means modifications, nonetheless, is a scene that occurs usually throughout a Camas women basketball sport and captured by way of images occasionally.
It’s frequent for level guards to seize directions or have a fast chat with the coach close to the workforce bench throughout a stoppage of play, equivalent to free throws. And when that happens between Thompson’s husband, Scott Thompson, and daughter Keirra, it brings out one other emotion for mother and spouse. As a result of she will get to observe two of her loves do what they love.
“That is my favorite moment,” she stated. “And watching them do what they love is amazing.”
Scott Thompson and Keirra Thompson’s journey as coach and level guard is winding down. For a 3rd consecutive yr, the Papermakers are enjoying for a bi-district title at 8 p.m. Saturday in Auburn. After that, Class 4A’s defending state champions have two weeks remaining of their 2024-25 season.
Scott Thompson stated previous to the season that it’s his final as Camas’ women basketball coach after seven seasons. Father and daughter, and head coach and senior level guard will finish their basketball journey collectively, too.
“I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate,” Scott Thompson stated, “I’m simply attempting to get pleasure from each second that I’ve left along with her and with the workforce, and with teaching women basketball.
“It’s kind of crazy, but it’s coming to an end.”
Creating the skillset
In Scott Thompson’s first tenure as a highschool head coach, younger Keirra had a nook of Fort Vancouver Excessive’s gymnasium reserved for objects that saved the toddler occupied. Coach Thompson led the Fort Vancouver boys from 2006-14, gained 80 video games and guided the Trappers to 5 postseason berths.
Again then, he required Fort gamers do 20 minutes of ball dealing with earlier than open gyms. These gamers gravitated towards a younger Keirra, who tagged together with dad.
Earlier than dad knew it, his daughter turned a grasp at 2-ball drills earlier than coming into kindergarten. That helped set her on a path to be the purpose guard she is at the moment: a pass-first participant recognized for her creativity.
Gamers know to be prepared for something from no-look passes to a cutter within the lane to behind-the-back bounce passes alongside the baseline. That creativity got here naturally, Keirra Thompson stated.
“I feel like over the years,” she stated, “I simply developed that, found out what labored and what didn’t. I performed towards a number of guys, in order that stuff would work and if it labored towards them, it could nearly work towards every other lady that I’d play.
“Once I started doing it and once it started working, I just kept at it.”
That skillset is all on her, Coach Thompson stated. In his prep days at Mountain View and later Whatcom Neighborhood School, Scott Thompson was recognized for his defensive prowess.
Coach Thompson stated he’s fortunate to have nice level guards over time teaching each girls and boys highschool basketball. Not solely does he discuss with his daughter as the perfect passer he’s coached, however essentially the most environment friendly 3-point shooters, too.
“You go down the list of my ‘Who’s Who’ of great point guards I’ve coached,” he stated, “and she gets a little bit of all of the best parts of them. … Sometimes as a coach, you don’t get to enjoy those moments because you’re always worried about the next play. And, so she’s out here doing her thing and I’m trying to figure out what defense we’re in. So sometimes, I don’t get to really sit back and enjoy how great of a highlight reel she’s become.”
Connecting
Some mother and father who’re coaches select to not coach their kids. Scott Thompson by no means thought twice about it. Father has coached daughter for all however one season of organized basketball.
Fellow Camas senior Sophie Buzzard has been on groups with the Thompsons since she and Keirra have been fifth graders. The Thompsons on-court communication is second to none, Buzzard stated.
“It’s really easy to work with both of them when they’re both on the same page so easily,” she stated. “Their relationship is awesome, and it’s fun to see their game translate on and off the court.”
Buzzard, a Portland State signee, is having an enormous senior season, too. She was named the 4A GSHL’s defensive MVP and kicked off the postseason in consecutive video games scoring 25 and 19 factors, respectively, in wins over Kentwood and Olympia.
Buzzard’s scoring isn’t the one quantity that’s taken off. After Camas misplaced six of eight rotational gamers off its 2024 Class 4A state championship workforce, how might the Papermakers replenish that scoring loss with out taking away what Keirra Thompson does greatest at level guard?
Because it turned out, scoring got here naturally, too, for a participant who already is this system’s profession assists chief.
Keirra Thompson started the season capturing higher than 40 % from 3-point vary. In January, she surpassed 1,000 profession factors in the identical week when she set this system’s new single-game scoring mark of 40 factors.
In November, Keirra Thompson signed with Boise State. For all the things she spoke about this system, the Broncos’ tradition stands out as a result of it reminds her of what she, and her teammates and coaches constructed at Camas.
“A lot of teams say ‘team culture, team culture’ but until you’ve actually experienced it, it’s almost like they don’t get it,” Keirra Thompson stated. “I feel like our team has experienced it.”
At Camas, she added, “This program has really done a good job of just creating a really good culture.”
Finish outcomes
In Keirra Thompson’s 4 years of highschool basketball, Camas is 84-24, gained three league titles and earned three state trophies. None greater than final yr’s Class 4A state championship, a program first.
Similar to within the remaining moments of final March’s 57-41 state-title win over Gonzaga Prep, dad and daughter embraced in Camas’ remaining dwelling sport Monday. When Buzzard and Keirra Thompson, the workforce’s seniors, bought subbed out within the fourth quarter of the Papermakers’ winner-to-state victory over Olympia to a rousing ovation, the pinnacle coach stood on the finish of the bench and pa and daughter had a congratulatory hug.
For years, Keirra Thompson has watched her father’s dedication to teaching highschool basketball. The triumphant wins and heartbreaking defeats are solely a part of the lasting on-court legacy of Coach Scott Thompson and senior level guard, Keirra Thompson.
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“He’s a phenomenal coach,” Keirra Thompson stated, “and a phenomenal dad.”
