Stanford guard Lili Thompson will not play for the Stanford women’s basketball team in her senior year at the school according to a report in the Mercury-News filed Thursday.
Her father, Greg Thompson, issued a brief statement to the fact, adding that she will graduate with her class. Whether she stays on campus or not remains unclear.
Thompson score 1,250 points in 104 games with the Cardinal, including a career-high 30 points against Washington State in January. She’s a career .396 shooter, .372 from 3-point range, and a .772 free throw shooter.
She missed two home games in late February when a beloved grandfather passed away. Stanford beat Oregon State and Oregon without her.
Stanford, which reached the Elite Eight last year, was expected to contend once again with Thompson, who had a career-high nine assists in an upset over Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen, and four other experienced seniors in the lineup.
Seniors Erica McCall, currently tending to a knee problem, Karlie Samuelson, Kailee Johnson and Briana Roberson were major contributors last year
The Cardinal are also expecting a lot from its highly-regarded freshmen class, which includes three guards. Sophomore guard Marta Sniezek was also getting more playing time later in the year.
Thompson sometimes played reckless but was at her best down the stretch and into the tournament. She averaged 16.7 points and had a 4.5-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the NCAAs. She reached double figures in her last seven games and 14 of 15 overall.
Thompson was a three-time all-Pac-12 selection, including being named to all-freshmen team, and was a four-time conference Player of the Week last season. She’s also been named the National Player of the Week.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports