Ronny Thompson

College coach infobox


Name = Ronny Thompson
Sport = Basketball
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DateOfBirth =
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DateOfDeath =
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College = Ball State
Title = Head coach
Awards =
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OverallRecord = 9-22 (.290)
Player = *
Years = 1989–1992
Team = Georgetown
Position =
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1993–1994
1994–1996
1996–1998
1998–2003
2003–2006
2006–2007
CoachTeams = Oregon (asst.)
Loyola (MD) (asst.)
Philadelphia 76ers (scout)
Georgetown (asst.)
Arkansas (asst.)
Ball State
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Ronny Thompson is the former coach of the men's basketball team at Ball State University after resigning on July 12, 2007 in the midst of two sets of self-reported NCAA rules violations in the past year and racially charged notes being found in the coach's office. He becomes only the second coach to serve only one year as head men's basketball coach at Ball State, the other being Frank V. Graham, who coached in the 1920-1921 season.

Thompson, the son of John Thompson, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who ran the Georgetown team from 1972-1999, attended Georgetown University, playing basketball for his father from 1989-1992. Before joining Ball State's men's basketball program on April 4, 2006, Thompson was an assistant coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Arkansas under former head coach Stan Heath. He also worked as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon under Jerry Green from 1993-1994. From 1994-1996 he worked at Loyola (Maryland) under Brian Ellerbe. Ronny worked with Larry Brown and General Manager Billy King of the Philadelphia 76ers from 1996-1998 as the director of scouting before returning to Georgetown, where he assisted Craig Esherick for five seasons.

Tenure at Ball State

Thompson's only season at the Ball State helm was profoundly disappointing, as Ball State ended the 2006-07 season struggling to a 5-11 in Mid-American Conference mark and 9-22 overall record. The 22 losses are the most in a season in Ball State history. Replacing previous head coach Tim Buckley after a 10-18 season that ranked as the Cardinals' worst record in nearly two decades, expectations for Thompson were exceedingly high. Thompson's hire, although greatly lauded by boosters and fans initially, was later questioned, as criticism of Athletic Director Tom Collins' administration and decision mounted.Thompson resigned after a single 9-22 season as the Cardinals' coach in a letter Thursday, July 12, 2007, to university president Jo Ann Gora.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
type=coach
conference=
postseason=
poll=noCBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Ball State
startyear=2006
conference=Mid-American Conference
endyear=2007|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2006–2007
name = Ball State
overall = 9-22
conference = 5-11
confstanding = 5th (West)
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Ball State
overall = 9-22
confrecord = 5-11CBB Yearly Record End
overall=9-22