SCOUTING REPORT: #KERRYTHOMPSON, aka 'GOAT', aka 'The Natural Controller'
"Goat was the most talented scorer that I ever played with. At age 11, 12, and 13-he was dropping 40's and 30's in unlimited tournaments around our neighborhood. His offensive skills were unbelievable and ahead of it's time. He hit off the backboard shots from deep, and hit the deep range pull-up effortlessly. He also had the layup game with both hands. Goat's scoring ability was unbelievable!"
-Wali 'World' Burgos
(Patterson Legend/Stevenson High School Standout/Writer & Director of "Checklist" The Play)
THE TRIANGLE-PATTERSON, MOTT HAVEN, & MITCHEL
If #BruceSimms was the first person that I had to physically #hone my #defensive #skills (#stance, #lateralmovement, #footwork, #handeyecoordination, #balance) against, then #KerryThompson was the guy that prepared me from a #mentalcapacity. You have to be able to understand the landscape of basketball in the #80's #SouthBronx where I grew up. Three housing projects co-existed within 3 minutes of one another, and 3 #cultures were exploding at the same time. Basketball, hip-hop, and the drug culture were all strong forces-you had to make a choice. Luckily for me, I chose to hoop. I grew up in the #PattersonProjects, Kerry grew up in #MottHaven, and #RodStrickland and the Strickland brothers (Byron & Steve) grew up in #MitchelProjects. The battles that were waged between these 3 projects before I took the stage were legendary! I give you this background so that you can understand how connected, yet disconnect each project was. If you grew up in one of these three projects, you represented that turf so to speak. You played on the courts where you lived, and not in the other hood-unless there was a local tournament.
ROUNDBALL CLASSIC
I remember the 2nd Annual #GauchosRoundballClassic like it was yesterday. The year was #1986. Patterson native, and Gauchos Coach #DaveJones brought the #prestigious tournament to the projects. It wasn't just a tournament, it was an outlet for local inner-city kids to do something positive. It #represented #hope, and a way out!!! Till this day, people still talk about those games. That's when I began to hear the #exploits of this individual named Kerry 'Goat'. We never crossed paths on the AAU circuit, so I had no idea who he was. (I believe Kerry is one year older than me.) That goes to show you how #urbanlegend works. "Kerry had 45." "50 the other day." "55 last week." I never told him this, but the things that he was doing from an offensive standpoint were #mythical. That's when my #mindset started to take over. I didn't know who this cat was, how old he was, or how tall. I just knew that when I laced up against this guy called 'Goat', he wasn't going to score 50 on me. I was going to cut his point total in half. If he was used to getting 50, he was only going to get 25 against me. To an #explosive scorer, that means a lot. That #demoralizes them. It hurts their #ego, and makes them uncomfortable! That was a #pledge/#mantra that I repeated to myself! Kerry Thompson #fueled that passion in me. I wasn't going to let him embarrass me. He put the battery in my back!
HERE'S WHY THEY CALL HIM THE GOAT
Lefty's just have the ability to change the game! They're different, very hard to adapt to. That was Kerry, he was a lefty. He had the entire offensive #reportoire at such an early age. #Scoring was in his genes-his brother #TroyMurray was a smooth, dominant scorer in his own right. #Terrorizing defenders in the #NYC #PSAL, (Public School Athletic League) Troy Murray taught Kerry the game. "I took my brother Kerry with me to one of my games when I had 45 or 50. After that game, he realized that none of those guys could stop me, and he trusted me to get him better. He put the work in. We used to make 100 jumpers a day, work on his handle, and his legs-doing vertical backboard taps", said Troy Murray. No different from Jordan #honing Pippen's skill-set. Goat was destined to be a great scorer! Kerry's #confidence/#swagger was sky high. That was probably his biggest #asset! He would #intimidate guys before the game-if you weren't strong mentally. He wasn't ashamed to tell you that he was about to #embarrass you. All of the great scorers have that #braggadocious attitude. Handle-check! The #shiftiness to break you down either way, and the explosiveness to go up top (Dunk on you.)-check! However, if you were going to score that many points-you better be able to shoot the rock. The 'Natural Controller' did that with his eyes closed!!! He had the same ability that Bruce Simms had. Those guys kept you off balance as a defender. Give them too much room, and they knock it down. Play them too close, and they blow by you and get to the rim, or pull-up. Great #playmaker as well. The guy was just the ultimate offensive weapon. He could explode at any time. Once he got going, it was nothing you could do. The only chance that you had was to make him work before he got the ball. Try to #deny, keep it out of his hands, and limit his touches.
MATCHING UP
Interestingly enough, I only had the pleasure of matching up against Goat 2 times in our playing career. Out of the 2 games, we split. An interesting story took place as a result of playing against Kerry & his Walton High School team. The year is #93', when my St. Raymond's team (#KareemReid, #TylerBrown, #CharltonClarke etc.) matched up with Walton at the Gauchos Gym. I don't remember the final score, or how much Kerry had, but the end result was a loss. #GaryDeCesare didn't take that loss in stride at all. "Keep your uniforms on, we're going back to the gym", he said. Once we get back to St. Raymond's High School, he tells us to wait in the gym. While waiting in the gym, you feel the A.C. blasting. He rolls out a T.V. on a portable stand and we proceed to watch the Walton game that we just played in. It had to be only 20 minutes, but it felt like forever. We stood there freezing, while Gary D. verbally lit into each one of us about how terribly we just played. There was a reason for him being that extreme in that moment, that's the genius that Coach Decesare is. He knew that we would face Walton down the road in the State Championship, and that's exactly what happened. That State Championship game against Walton was over before it started-we beat them convincingly. That seed that GD planted in our heads made us want to never feel that way again.
Hopefully, Kerry would tell you that I made him work, and challenged him a little bit. I would think that he respected how hard I worked on the #defensiveend. The only way that you get guys like Kerry Thompson to respect you, is by working hard and #competing. If you dont-they will have their way with you. The truth of the matter is that Kerry Thompson was an offensive #genius! When you played against him, all you could do was hope that he had an off night. Thank you Kerry!!!
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST'S DEFENSIVE STRATEGY: Make him work as much as possible before the catch. Deny, and try to get him frustrated. Once he catches, you have to crowd him, and force him to his weaker hand. (Right) Live with the results of him shooting contested 18 to 25 foot jumpers. You have a better chance with that than you do with him attacking the basket to score and get others involved. Turn him into a passer by sending a double team if you have to. It's proven that he can beat you by scoring the ball!
Contact Info:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP
