Jonathan "JD" Davis, head coach of the Georgia Dream Team Elite AAU girls¹ basketball team, wrote to tell Gballmag.com about one of his players, Kacy Thompson, who he has coached for the past three summers.

"She is the hardest-working young lady that I have ever coached," he writes. "She was hurt some of this last summer because she tore her ACL at the beginning of her junior season, but she was always there to help and cheer her teammates on."

While the 5-11 Douglas plays the two and three positions for her AAU team, at Douglas County High School in Atlanta, Ga., she moves inside. "She plays center on her high school team but she is a great shooter and plays with a lot of heart," Davis says. "This year, she is back averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds a game as the only senior on a very young team with no one taller then her."

In her freshman and sophomore seasons at Douglas, Thompson averaged 13.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 4.8 steals per game while leading the team to the Georgia Class 5A state tournament. Among her honors was being named an Adidas All-American Top 10 and Street & Smith All-American honorable mention in 2002 and 2003 , and all-county honors as a freshman and sophomore.

In spite of being injured during her junior season, Thompson signed in November to attend Western Carolina University, where she¹ll play for head coach Beth Dunkenberger.

"I think Western got a steal because if she was healthy this past summer, I think she would have been signing with a ACC or SEC program," says Coach Davis. "I know with her ability, she will definitely be an impact player for them the next few years. She was our AAU team's heart and soul and my high school hero because of what she has been through and still coming out on top."

Thompson excels in all walks of life. "She leads by example on the court, in the classroom where is carrying a 4.0 GPA while taking all AP classes, and in life," says Coach Davis. "To me, she is a coach's dream and I feel fortunate to have had her the last few springs and summers."

Thompson plans to major in biology at Western Carolina with a minor in nursing and hopes to attend veterinary school upon completion of her degree, according to a WCU press release.

Article written by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.

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