Brooks Thompson, the former Littleton High School basketball star who has been battling double organ failure the past several days and had been listed as critical, was in stable condition as of Wednesday. According to his wife, Michelle, Thompson is eating and walking, she stated on Facebook.
Information was provided by Oklahoma State senior associate athletic director for development Larry Reece. Thompson is in a hospital in San Antonio, where he resides.
Here’s the post:
“First and foremost….I want to thank each and everyone one of you, from the bottom of my heart, I am beyond grateful that all of you took the time to lift Brooks up in prayer! It truly has brought tears to Brooks’ eyes to see how much he is loved and thought of so dearly!
“GOD IS GOOD!! And prayers are being answered …Brooks is in stable condition! His ‘numbers’ are not improving as quickly as we would like, BUT he is eating and walking and getting stronger by the day.
“Brooks will have a few procedures done — hopefully soon. This path to healing will test Brooks physically and mentally. Brooks has one of the best transplant teams in the world caring for him at the Methodist Specialty And Transplant Hospital! Between God and these phenomenal doctors, he is in good hands!
“My dear friends, I beg you to continue to pray along with me that Our God Almighty continues his work in Brooks. Especially during this period of waiting. God bless all of you!” Love, Michelle Thompson.
Thompson, now 45, played for the Class 4A Lions under coach Ron Vlasin. They combined to win the 1989 big-school championship with a 24-0 mark and Thompson, a talented, 6-foot-4 left-handed guard, was named the state’s player of the year.
The native of Dallas went on to Texas A&M from 1989-91, then transferred to Oklahoma State, where he was named All-Big Eight first team in 1994. He was the 27th pick of the Orlando Magic of that year’s NBA Draft. He would also go on to play for the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. In all, he played in 168 NBA games and scored 760 points, including a career-high 26 against the Suns as a member of the Nuggets in Nov. 26, 1996.
He also played briefly in a Greek league.
As a coach, Thompson had stops at OSU, Metro Christian Academy, Southeastern Louisiana, Yavapai C.C., and Arizona State before taking over the Texas-San Antonio program in 2006 and lasting until the end of last season. He was fired after a 5-27 record. A highlight came in 2011, when he led USTA to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, 70-61 over Alabama State.
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or @neildevlin
