Indiana University Athletics
Staff Directory
Colsten Thompson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
Colsten Thompson is in his second season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Indiana in 2026-27.
In his first season with the Hoosiers, Thompson brought in the sixth-ranked recruiting class for 2026, according to ESPN. Addy Nyemchek, ranked No. 25 in the class, became the program’s first McDonald’s All-American out of high school as was the 2026 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. Three of the four players in the class were ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 – Nyemchek (No. 25), GiGi Battle (No. 29) and Ashlinn James (No. 66).
Thompson joins the program after a three-year stint at Alabama where he most recently served as the Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development and Recruiting Operations. He has served in a recruiting operations role in his three years in Tuscaloosa, as the program went to three NCAA Tournaments and three 20-win seasons.
He helped Alabama to sign a pair of Top 15 recruiting classes in 2023 and 2025, which both ranked 12th nationally by ESPNw. A recent WBCA 30-under-30 honoree, Thompson assisted four Crimson Tide athletes to WNBA Draft picks – including three in the 2025 draft (Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green and Aalyiah Nye).
The Hartselle, Ala. native spent time at Lipscomb (assistant coach), Louisiana Tech (graduate assistant) and Alabama-Huntsville (student assistant), where he completed his bachelor’s degree in sports fitness and management in 2020. Thompson also completed a master’s degree at Louisiana Tech in business administration in 2021. He was a basketball student-athlete at Martin Methodist College and Wallace State Community College from 2014-16.
He is married to his wife, Mackenzie, and they have a daughter, Tanner.
In his first season with the Hoosiers, Thompson brought in the sixth-ranked recruiting class for 2026, according to ESPN. Addy Nyemchek, ranked No. 25 in the class, became the program’s first McDonald’s All-American out of high school as was the 2026 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. Three of the four players in the class were ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 – Nyemchek (No. 25), GiGi Battle (No. 29) and Ashlinn James (No. 66).
Thompson joins the program after a three-year stint at Alabama where he most recently served as the Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development and Recruiting Operations. He has served in a recruiting operations role in his three years in Tuscaloosa, as the program went to three NCAA Tournaments and three 20-win seasons.
He helped Alabama to sign a pair of Top 15 recruiting classes in 2023 and 2025, which both ranked 12th nationally by ESPNw. A recent WBCA 30-under-30 honoree, Thompson assisted four Crimson Tide athletes to WNBA Draft picks – including three in the 2025 draft (Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green and Aalyiah Nye).
The Hartselle, Ala. native spent time at Lipscomb (assistant coach), Louisiana Tech (graduate assistant) and Alabama-Huntsville (student assistant), where he completed his bachelor’s degree in sports fitness and management in 2020. Thompson also completed a master’s degree at Louisiana Tech in business administration in 2021. He was a basketball student-athlete at Martin Methodist College and Wallace State Community College from 2014-16.
He is married to his wife, Mackenzie, and they have a daughter, Tanner.
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