Thompson Brothers Bring The Scoring Factory to New Jersey

Back in 2009, Pete Strobl founded and introduced The Scoring Factory to Western Pennsylvania.

Ten years later, a pair of brothers are following in Strobl’s footsteps and taking their basketball knowledge to the other side of the state. Professional basketball players Jason and Ryan Thompson are opening up a franchise of The Scoring Factory in the greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area. Jason formerly played for the Sacramento Kings while his brother Ryan is a professional basketball player in Europe.

Now that their playing days are almost over, the Thompson brothers just want to help out after having received plenty of assistance during their days on the court. They believe that their experience and contacts that they’ve built up will be of great benefit.

“My brother and I have always felt a love for the game and knew that we wanted to give back someday after we retire,” said Ryan Thompson. “I think we both have some years left in the tank, but the opportunity to get started with this venture now makes a lot of sense for us and we know that the community needs this. Sometimes you just know when the timing is right.”

“During my years of playing, I’ve witnessed so many different styles of play that it gives me a special outlook,” Jason Thompson told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “We give a lot of praise to how they do things and teach skills in Europe, but let’s not forget that this is our game and we produce a lot of very talented players right here in America. I’ve seen a lot of teaching and what takes place at The Scoring Factory is exactly what players need to focus on.”

Ten years ago, Strobl had the dream to help with improving the quality of basketball in the Pittsburgh area. He hired an experienced staff of coaches that would provide specific instruction and constructive feedback to players of all positions and sizes.

The multiple Scoring Factories in Western Pennsylvania conduct various skills clinics, private training sessions and camps for kids of all ages. The Thompson brothers plan on implementing a lot of the same things that Strobl has done to make The Pittsburgh Scoring Factory the premiere basketball facility in the area.

“This is something we’ve been working on for a long time and we have a plan in place,” said Ryan Thompson. “When you talk about leadership and communication, Pete Strobl is second to none and it’s been pretty cool to work hand-in-hand with him to put this together. Our first Grand Opening type event is June 30th and it will allow people the chance to get a feel for what we do. After that, we’ll start to roll out skills clinics on Sunday’s. As we continue to prove ourselves and win the trust of the community, we have some pretty big plans to announce after that.”

Courtesy of Jason Thompson

“My brother and I are really close and talk all the time. People forget that we played together in college at Rider University and no matter where we are in the world, we’re always watching each other’s games and talking on FaceTime or whatever,” said Jason Thompson. “We’re in love with basketball and appreciate how much it’s done for us. We know what it can do and want to help share that experience with the next generation. By a twist of fate, Ryan ended up meeting Pete in Germany and they got a chance to get to know each other and the idea sprouted over time.”

The Scoring Factory in Pittsburgh didn’t become a success overnight and took years of hard work to develop into what it is today. We asked Ryan about his long-term goals for Philadelphia/New Jersey’s Scoring Factory.

“First, we have to make sure we get the word out about what we’re doing in this initial phase because we all know that the product itself is the best in the business. The long-term goal is to help as many hungry players as possible. Players and parents need training but they need guidance too. We want to provide the entire spectrum and help players reach their potential through our skills clinics, academy, private training and AAU. Pittsburgh is producing more talent than ever before and we’ve noticed how many more kids are getting college scholarships. We want to do the same thing for the kids in our surrounding neighborhoods.,” said Ryan Thompson.

The first kickoff event is a 1-day clinic on June 30th. The location and times will be released soon. Check out the Scoring Factory’s website in order to sign-up and if you have any questions.

The Thompson brothers and Strobl aren’t the only people excited and proud of the what’s happening. Here are a few notable people that we caught up with:

“Super proud of my guys Ryan and Jason, whom I’ve known for years. The Scoring Factory coming to our area is big-time. Having so many talented kids that need that extra push from the right people and they’ll be getting that. They’ll be teaching the youth the structure and tools needed to be successful”- Brad Wanamaker, Boston Celtics.

“These guys are family to me and it’s great to see that they’ve allowed basketball to show them the world, and that they’re committed to bringing that wisdom back home. This is great for the community and shows their leadership in being forward thinking stewards.”- Kevin Baggett, Head Coach Rider University.

“This is honestly long overdue and I’m proud to see that Jason and Ryan are bringing The Scoring Factory to town and making it happen. All of us are products of the teaching and coaching we received coming up, so I know that this will help even more players get scholarships.”- Kyle Hines, CSKA Moscow.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of this project and sharing our teaching curriculum with a new audience. It’s been a long and intense planning process behind the scenes to get to this stage and I couldn’t be more proud of the leadership in place to bring The Scoring Factory to the greater tri-state area.”- Pete Strobl, President of The Scoring Factory.