Episode 22: Episode 22: Eric Thompson

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is Eric Thompson who is the JV head basketball coach at McNicholas High School and a former team manager for men’s basketball team at Xavier University.
Eric has a great story about positivity and inspiration. He was diagnosed as a child with a form of muscular dystrophy called spinal muscular atrophy. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 9 but it does not get him down or be what defines him.
He grew up on the Eastside of Cincinnati and attended St. Thomas More grade school and graduated from Archbishop McNicolas High School. He credits the love of sports as being the bonding agent with him and the other kids while growing to become his friends.
He kept the stats and was a team manager for the McNick baseball and basketball programs while in high school. This led to him wanting to pursue a profession in the sports field.
After attending the University of Kentucky for his freshman year and working there in the Athletics Communications Department, Eric transfers back home to attend Xavier University.
Eric befriends former Xavier basketball player Sherwin Anderson who introduces him to the legendary Sr. Rose Ann Fleming (https://goxavier.com/staff-directory/sr-rose-ann-fleming/1). Sister Fleming picks up the phone with and Eric and his parents in her office and calls head coach Chris Mack. Just like that Eric becomes a team manager for the men’s basketball program.
Eric looks back on some of the great memories of his time with the basketball program. He is there for three seasons and some of the stories are just incredible including having an up close vantage point for the infamous Crosstown Shootout that ended in controversy.
After his time with the basketball team ends Eric sticks around to intern under Sports Information Director Tom Eiser while working on his masters degree in Sports Management.
Eric moves on to a job in the ticket office before landing his current job with the university as the Annual Giving Officer.
Although Eric has a successful professional career he still was missing something and that was having basketball in life. He decides that he wants build on a promising coaching career.
While in college he begins coaching for his friends Sherwin Anderson’s Shining Stars AAU program. His leads to numerous stops working his way up the ladder. In the late spring of 2020, he returns to his alma matter and becomes the JV head coach at McNicholas High School.
Eric credits and thanks varsity head coach Tim Monahan (https://twitter.com/CoachTMonahan) (his former history teacher) and athletic director Drew Schmidt (https://twitter.com/SchmidtDrew10) (a former schoolmate) for bringing him back home to McNick.
Eric admits that one day he would love to be a varsity head coach but as for now he couldn’t be any happier than to be back on Beechmont Avenue coaching for the Rockets.
You can follow Eric on Twitter @Eric_Thompson10 (https://twitter.com/Eric_Thompson10) and the McNicholas Basketball program @McNBasketball (https://twitter.com/McNBasketball) program
You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 (https://twitter.com/BradyLaber1) please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe
Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm (https://nobodysssafe.fireside.fm)
For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com (https://www.stoveleg.com) or send an email to [email protected]
Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com (https://www.bensound.com)

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is Eric Thompson who is the JV head basketball coach at McNicholas High School and a former team manager for men’s basketball team at Xavier University.

Eric has a great story about positivity and inspiration. He was diagnosed as a child with a form of muscular dystrophy called spinal muscular atrophy. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 9 but it does not get him down or be what defines him.

He grew up on the Eastside of Cincinnati and attended St. Thomas More grade school and graduated from Archbishop McNicolas High School. He credits the love of sports as being the bonding agent with him and the other kids while growing to become his friends.

He kept the stats and was a team manager for the McNick baseball and basketball programs while in high school. This led to him wanting to pursue a profession in the sports field.

After attending the University of Kentucky for his freshman year and working there in the Athletics Communications Department, Eric transfers back home to attend Xavier University.

Eric befriends former Xavier basketball player Sherwin Anderson who introduces him to the legendary Sr. Rose Ann Fleming. Sister Fleming picks up the phone with and Eric and his parents in her office and calls head coach Chris Mack. Just like that Eric becomes a team manager for the men’s basketball program.

Eric looks back on some of the great memories of his time with the basketball program. He is there for three seasons and some of the stories are just incredible including having an up close vantage point for the infamous Crosstown Shootout that ended in controversy.

After his time with the basketball team ends Eric sticks around to intern under Sports Information Director Tom Eiser while working on his masters degree in Sports Management.

Eric moves on to a job in the ticket office before landing his current job with the university as the Annual Giving Officer.

Although Eric has a successful professional career he still was missing something and that was having basketball in life. He decides that he wants build on a promising coaching career.

While in college he begins coaching for his friends Sherwin Anderson’s Shining Stars AAU program. His leads to numerous stops working his way up the ladder. In the late spring of 2020, he returns to his alma matter and becomes the JV head coach at McNicholas High School.

Eric credits and thanks varsity head coach Tim Monahan (his former history teacher) and athletic director Drew Schmidt (a former schoolmate) for bringing him back home to McNick.

Eric admits that one day he would love to be a varsity head coach but as for now he couldn’t be any happier than to be back on Beechmont Avenue coaching for the Rockets.

You can follow Eric on Twitter @Eric_Thompson10 and the McNicholas Basketball program @McNBasketball program

You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe

Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm

For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com or send an email to [email protected]

Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com