Scott Thompson named head basketball coach at Rummel

It not take very long.

After Troy Holley stepped down as head basketball coach at Archbishop Rummel on March 27, the search began to find a successor.

Despite enormous interest in what is considered be a very good job, the Raiders found their man, tapping into a coach with a rich Catholic League basketball background.

Former Brother Martin head coach and Jesuit star Scott Thompson has been named head coach of the Raiders.

Thompson served six seasons as the head coach at Brother Martin, guiding the Crusaders to the 2010 Class 5A state championship, edging Scotlandville 55-54 for the title. Thompson sported a 120-76 record with the Crusaders. He guided Brother Martin to the semifinals in his final season at the Gentilly school in 2011. Thompson led Brother Martin to the state playoffs in all six of his seasons as head coach.

Thompson was at Brother Martin for 10 years, serving his first four seasons as an assistant coach under John Lavie. During that time, the Crusaders won two state titles and went to a third championship game.

“Rummel is an outstanding institution with a great history and a great foundation,” Thompson said. “Having played against and coached against the Raiders for years, I have a deep appreciation for who they are, what has been accomplished and the future. This is a superb opportunity.”

A fiery player and coach, Thompson was always animated during his time at Brother Martin, hardly every sitting in his chair in the bench area. He was instrumental in helping build the “Conlin Crazies” student section at Brother Martin, which always supported and continues to support the Crusaders. Thompson was an outstanding player at Jesuit and at Loyola, graduating from Jesuit in 1992.

Thompson received his undergraduate degree and earned his Masters degree in secondary education from Loyola, where he was a four-year captain of the basketball team (1992-1996) and a Presidential Scholar.

Thompson served two stints at Jesuit, from 1992-2000 and from 2011-2016. He taught science and world geography while coaching basketball, cross country and track and field at different intervals.

Most recently, Thompson returned to Jesuit to teach and served as an assistant coach before departing for Lafayette to become the head of the upper school at Berchmans Academy in 2016.

As the new athletic director at Rummel, Jay Roth found his man swiftly and knew he had the right person and coach for many reasons.

“His concern for his players, his passion for the game was unbelievable,” Roth said. “I was exhausted listening to him. That is how passionate he is. I can only imagine the energy he will bring to our basketball team. Rummel has hired a gentleman and a proven winner. When I was announced as athletic director, this was the top priority. We wanted to move fast and so did the school because we are committed to having a successful basketball program. We feel we have made a move to accomplish that goal.”

In 2017, Thompson returned to New Orleans to be the middle school dean and athletic director at The Good Shepherd Nativity Mission School.

“It is incumbent upon myself and all who endeavor to work in schools to form the complete person, educationally, spiritually, personally and emotionally,” Thompson said. “Academic excellence comes first. Archbishop Rummel affords the opportunity to accomplish all of those goals. It is a job that I have felt was a great job for many years, one where you can absolutely achieve great success with outstanding young men and educators.”

Rummel last won a district championship in basketball in 1985. The Raiders most recently reached the 5A quarterfinals in a united classification in 2013. The Raiders won state titles in 1977 and 1978 under Jim Robarts and reached the state finals in 1973 under Robarts and in 1996 under Rusty Jones.

Holley spent 10 years at Rummel, posting a 162-139 mark.

“Scott feels the same way I felt when I was hired as football coach 25 years ago, that Rummel is a sleeping giant,” Roth said. “He feels the same way I felt 25 years ago. We have been blessed to realize the success we envisioned in basketball and feel he will do the same in basketball. We could not be more excited about having him come on board.”

Thompson is ready to settle down as he moves into his fourth job in the last seven years.

“We have three sons, my wife works at Archbishop Chapelle, and I can answer the question,” Thompson said. “I envision being here for a long time, settling down and making this the best job imaginable. All things are possible. Everything is in place, including great kids, great leadership and a great tradition. Raider Pride is alive and well and we will do everything possible to grow that mindset even more.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — ARCHBISHOP RUMMEL

Scott Thompson, athletic director at the Good Shepherd School, has been named Head Basketball Coach at Archbishop Rummel High School, for the 2018-19 school year. The announcement was made Friday by Marc Milano, president-principal at Archbishop Rummel.

Thompson was previously head coach at Brother Martin High School from 2005 through 2011, where his teams won the Class 5A state championship in 2010 and played in the state semi-finals in 2011.

“We are very, very pleased to have Coach Thompson joining our athletic staff and we look forward to working with him in making our basketball program the best in the metro area,” said Jay Roth, Rummel athletic director.

The new Raider basketball coach attended Loyola University and played for the Wolf Pack from 1992 through 1996. He was inducted into Loyola’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

Thompson received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Loyola University and graduated from Jesuit High School in 1992. He and his wife Sherri have three sons and a daughter.

Coach Thompson, said, “My family and I are very thankful to have the opportunity to join the Archbishop Rummel High School community. The pillars of faith, community, and service strongly appeal to me. This is an honor and a privilege.”