T.J. Thompson heads into his fifth season as an assistant coach at Rutgers in 2025-26. He heads into his seventh season on the Scarlet Knights’ staff. Thompson was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection and four-year starter at George Washington University under head coach Steve Pikiell.
Thompson has developed a key relationship with many of the players on the roster during his first five years with the program. Thompson is developing a reputation as one of the best young rising coaches in all of college basketball. During the 2024-25 Scarlet Knights had their best scoring offense by a large margin under head coach Steve Pikiell, averaging 76.6 points per game. It was the best Rutgers offense since 1992-93, marking the best offense in 32 years in Piscataway.
During the 2023-24 season, the Scarlet Knights maintained one of the best homecourt advantages in the nation, finishing 12-5 at home and selling out every home game of the season. In 2022-23, the Scarlet Knights became the first team in school history to amass four-straight winning seasons, and the team reached postseason play in a third consecutive season.
Thompson helped the Scarlet Knights return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in consecutive seasons since 1976 in 2021-22. Thompson has also become one of RU’s best recruiters on the road throughout the past few seasons. Thompson helped Rutgers secure the first-five star recruit of the Pikiell tenure and one of the best recruits in RU history in wing Gavin Griffiths. Thompson has found talent all over the country for the Scarlet Knights through his recruiting over the years including helping recruit point guard Geo Baker (New Hampshire), forward Antwone Woolkfolk (Ohio) and forward Antonio Chol (Buffalo).
Pikiell said the following on Thompson’s hiring:
“We are very excited to welcome T.J. and his wife Ilima to the Rutgers family,” said Pikiell on the date of his original hire. “I was fortunate to coach T.J. for four years. His basketball knowledge, combined with his experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, will be a tremendous asset. He’s been through the battles as a player and was instrumental in helping us build up our program at GW. He loves basketball and has a passion for the game. T.J. will fit in seamlessly with our staff, as we add yet another high-character and quality individual to the program.”
Thompson spent his first two seasons as Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights’ director of basketball administration. In that role, Thompson will be responsible for assisting the men’s basketball support staff with day-to-day administration of the program. His responsibilities will include academic support, media relations, individual player support, film breakdown, player analysis and assisting in overseeing the program’s University and community outreach endeavors.
Since Thompson joined the staff, RU has enjoyed a program renaissance, . In 2020-21, RU earned its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991 and earned an opening round victory over Clemson that marked RU’s first NCAA Tournament since 1983. The Scarlet Knights posted their first winning season in 14 years with a 20-11 record in 2019-20. It was the program’s first 20-win regular season in 37 years. The team had 18 regular season home wins, the most in the nation and a program record.
Thompson co-founded the D.C. Blue Devils New Hampshire non-profit and AAU program, where he had been program director and head coach for six years. Thompson ran the day-to- day business operations of the non-profit DC Blues Devils – NH, working with student-athletes from all backgrounds and providing financial assistance and scholarships for the majority in the program. Thompson implemented mandatory mentoring and academic tutoring programs to assist players with off-the-court responsibilities and to ensure their success at the collegiate level.
Thompson served as head coach for the 15U-17U programs and oversaw operations for all seven teams, while training coaching staff and managing practice and player development sessions. More than 50 co-ed players, including current Rutgers’ team captain Geo Baker, furthered their academic and athletic careers at NCAA programs under his tutelage.
A native of Germantown (Md.), Thompson was a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection at GW. He helped the team to its first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title as a senior team captain in 2004-05. The Colonials captured 22 wins, their most since 1997-98 and the second most in 50 years, en route to a top 20 ranking and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Thompson still holds the GW career record for three pointers with 229, while ranking fifth in assists (484) and eighth in steals (158).
Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2005 before competing professionally in various European premier leagues for 10 years. He was also selected for the Boston Celtics Las Vegas Summer League squad in 2007.
