Scottie’s Way

Scottie Thompson draws inspiration from his father Joseph, who sacrificed his own basketball dreams to be
a seafarer so he could support their family.

The realization didn’t come quick, it turned out to be a gradual process for Barangay Ginebra’s do-it-all guard Earl Scottie Thompson.

As he basks in the spotlight as one of the PBA’s hottest young stars, playing for the league’s most popular team, the 23-year-old Thompson has always thought about life beyond basketball.

Of course, the former University of Perpetual Help star and 2014 NCAA Most Valuable Player knows he has plenty of years ahead of him—and he looks forward to the day when the Gin Kings return to play for a championship again before their adoring throng, just like in the PBA Governors’ Cup last month.

Having a fallback doesn’t hurt, Scottie says. But his motivation is more personal.

Growing up, Scottie coped with not having his father around for most of the year. Joseph Thompson works overseas as a seafarer to provide for his wife Leticia and their five sons.

Now 56, Joseph still works abroad, but Scottie, the fourth of five children, says he longs for the day when his father retires and gets to regularly watch his son in action in the playing arena.

That dream has fueled Scottie as he recently embarked on a business venture that’s close to his heart.

Last month, he opened Thompson’s Sports Hair Shop in downtown Digos City, 65 kilometers south of Davao City.

“I want to secure my family’s future after I’m done with my career,” says Scottie. “My father sacrificed his basketball dreams to be a seafarer so he could support our family. I want him to enjoy his retirement, and the business will help him with that.”

Joseph Thompson, a grandson of United States serviceman William Thompson, was a star in intertown leagues in Davao del Sur. Scottie, who learned the game on the prodding of his father, grew up in Joseph’s shadows.

“Whenever I played in high school, people always had a comment and it always involved my father,” Scottie recalls. “When I played, people heckled me. They would say ‘He doesn’t play like his dad,’ stuff like that. At first I didn’t mind them at all; I was younger back then.

“Then there came a point when I took basketball seriously. Every time I played, I would think of what the people would say and I used it as motivation, an inspiration to do more.”

Scottie Thompson draws inspiration from his father Joseph, who sacrificed his own basketball dreams to be a seafarer so he could support their family.

Scottie says Joseph didn’t have much time for one-on-one matches with him. Instead, the father put his son through shooting and conditioning drills whenever he was home.

“He’s my inspiration, but he had to give up his own [basketball] dreams because of the uncertainty of having a career in the sport,” Scottie says.

The 23-year-old cager has come a long way from being a reed-thin, high-leaping swingman from Cor Jesu College in Digos and later at Agro Industrial Foundation College in Davao.

It was in the 2010 Palarong Pambansa in Tarlac where he was discovered by then Perpetual Help juniors coach Tonichi Pujante.

Scottie says leaving Davao was tough as he bore the pain of being away from family while chasing his basketball dreams.

At the Las Piñas City-based school, Scottie became the cornerstone of the Altas for three years. His collegiate career was highlighted by the 2014 MVP award, which he earned by dishing out numerous triple doubles during the course of the season.

After a quiet start to his pro career, he slowly cracked the starting lineup of Ginebra coach Tim Cone. And he has continued to prove his worth.

The Governors’ Cup saw him produce one stellar performance after another. Doubts that he couldn’t deliver the same numbers he constantly posted in college were extinguished in the playoffs when Scottie exploded for 25 points to help the Gin Kings oust the San Miguel Beermen in the semifinals, where he also delivered a triple double—a feat last achieved by Johnny Abbarientos in 1993.

“I’m so proud of him,” says Cone. “He’s just a rookie, but he’s holding his own. He’s just a smart player. More than his rebounding, it’s his unselfishness that has really helped the team.”

Against Meralco in the finals, Thompson was a picture of calm and confidence for the Gin Kings, sharing playmaking chores with veteran guard L.A. Tenorio. It was no surprise that Thompson was on the floor at crunchtime, helping the Gin Kings seal the crown.

Ginebra veterans Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand heaped praises on the then rookie, anointing him as the future of the franchise.

“That kid epitomizes the next generation of the never-say-die spirit,” says Helterbrand.

Through it all, Scottie doesn’t lose sight of his goals. After collecting his first individual award in the pros as a member of the All-Rookie team, he returned home briefly for the opening of his shop, which he established by putting up a capital of about P1 million. He left Digos with a smile as he saw the shop filled with clients of all ages.

“I’ve always wanted to open a barber shop because we didn’t have a high-end barber shop in our area,” Scottie says.

The shop was such a hit that Scottie says he has received inquiries of possible partnerships for a branch in Manila. He says the barber shop won’t be the first and last time he’ll venture into business. He is already planning to buy utility vans that he can rent out.

“I just thought about investing while I’m still playing,” Scottie says. “A basketball player’s career is very difficult to predict.”