“A great joy to coach”

Article by: Mike Giannattasio

Laura Thompson is going to have plenty of good memories when she graduates from Suffolk this May. Thompson is a senior at Suffolk and just completed her fourth and final season on the Suffolk University women’s basketball team.

Thompson, a forward on the squad, had her best season with the Rams this past year, as she was second on the team with 9.3 points per game and first in rebounds with 7.1 per game.

“I’m happy for her success and her team’s success,” said Suffolk women’s basketball coach Ed Leyden. “I was hoping she would break out and be good, and she’s proven to be a solid college basketball player as well as an optimistic, upbeat, and supportive leader.”

Thompson, who is from Kennebunk, Maine, and graduated from Kennebunk High School in 2006, has improved tremendously in each of her four seasons with the Rams. She appeared in 15 games as a freshman, averaging 1.7 PPG and 1.4 RPG. As a sophomore, Thompson appeared in 28 games and was a valuable inside presence off the bench, averaging 4 PPG and 2.9 RBG.

During the 2008-09 season, Thompson appeared in 26 games for Suffolk coming off the bench. She was a force down low, averaging 4 PPG and 3.6 RPG.

Thompson’s goals for this season were to always play hard and to make sure the team never gave up on one another. She definitely had her best season yet this year, as she helped the Rams go 14-12 and make the GNAC tournament. The season came to end for the squad on Feb. 23, when they lost to Albertus Magnus in the first round by a score of 82-81.

“We had so much talent on our team, so much chemistry, and we pushed ourselves to be a better team, so we felt like we deserved to win it all,” said Thompson.” My goals for myself were to keep my team concentrated and focused and to never give up for even a second. We loved playing as a team and we didn’t want to see it come to an end, but unfortunately we fell one basket too short.”

Thompson added that she has enjoyed every minute that she has spent on the team.

“The things that I have enjoyed the most about playing on the women’s basketball team would be having the opportunity to play basketball with the girls on the team,” said Thompson. “I have made lifelong friends and have memories that I will never forget.

“The other things that I have enjoyed would be that playing basketball for four years has made such a huge impact on my life,” she continued. “It has taught me so many things about myself and has helped me to be a more organized, focused and determined individual.”

Thompson chose to attend Suffolk after Leyden heavily recruited her. When she was a senior in high school, she stayed overnight in Boston with a few girls on the Suffolk team and immediately fell in love with the city.

Thompson also wanted a school that was close to home if she needed to get away from the city and it was within driving distance so that her parents could come watch her play. She also thought the city was a great place to start living on her own as there was always something to do.

Thompson’s parents have definitely had the most impact on her athletic career. Ever since she was a small child they have supported her and have tried to attend every one of her basketball games. Another person that has had a huge impact on her athletic career is her former teammate, Meghan Tracey.

“Meghan was a year ahead of me and we played the same position so I always looked up to her,” said Thompson. “I have never had a teammate that had such love and devotion for the sport and she made me cherish the game that much more. She always pushed me to play harder in practice and made my Suffolk career one to remember.”

Leyden said that Thompson was a pleasure to be around both on and off the court.

“Laura is a people person, as she likes people and realizes that it’s a people world,” said Leyden, who has coached the Rams since 1994. “Laura is genuine, and she is not a phony. You can trust her words and her actions are sincere.

“I think I’m going to remember that Laura persevered. She hung in and toiled when she was not playing much. I found her easy going way to be a great joy to coach, and all of the teammates appreciated her. She made a mark with us all.”

Thompson said she will never forget playing for the Suffolk women’s basketball team.

“I will always remember what happened during practice and the pasta parties we had with the team that were always a good time,” said Thompson. “The one thing I loved about playing for Suffolk would be that I made such good friends and we have so many memories outside of basketball that I can still, to this day, laugh to myself when I think of the times we spent together.”