JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Impact Christian Academy (ICA) recently celebrated a significant milestone as Taylor Thompson, a standout basketball player for the Lions, became the first athlete from their program to commit to a Division I school. Thompson will be joining the University of North Florida (UNF) Ospreys, fulfilling a dream he's had since childhood.
"Oh, y'all wouldn't believe how much work I put in. It's a lot of early mornings and late nights. Hundreds and thousands of miles of running. Running around this whole mall four or five times," Thompson said.
Thompson's journey from shooting threes at ICA to becoming a member of the UNF Ospreys has been a long-time aspiration.
"So I did the ball camp back when I was 5 years old. There's a picture of me and Coach Driscoll and Coach Evans sitting there with a ball in my hands. I've been following UNF ever since then," Thompson shared.
Although Thompson had offers from West Point and Longwood, his desire to continue his family's legacy at UNF was a deciding factor.
"My dad, my mom, my sister, my aunt," Thompson listed, noting that all had graduated from UNF.
Ben Jones, the Lions' head basketball coach, expressed pride in Thompson's achievements and looked forward to supporting him.
"Every time that we're not playing and he's playing, I'll be there," said Jones.
Thompson also emphasized the importance of having his family and support system close by.
"I have my family here, my support system here that I'm pretty sure will be there to help cheer me on as we're playing. I feel like it'll be an amazing experience having everybody that I know come out and watch me play," he said.
Thompson will begin his academic and athletic journey with UNF at the end of June, with the Ospreys' preseason basketball starting in November.