Veronica Thompson ’84

W hen Veronica “Ronnie” Thompson followed in her brother’s footsteps and began playing basketball at age 15, she didn’t realize those strides would take her nearly 9,000 miles from her home country of New Zealand to Stockton University and the Pinelands of New Jersey.

“Basketball was not a major sport in mid-1970s New Zealand, but players and coaches from America would come and promote it. Former Middle Township player John Conrad arranged for my brother, Rewi, to spend a year at Middle Township High School,” Thompson said. “I was a year behind and always followed my brother around. I learned to play basketball through him.”

So, Thompson followed Rewi to the United States to play on the girls’ team at MTHS, living with a host family arranged through the Kiwanis Club. Her talent caught the attention of former Stockton Assistant Athletics Director and Women’s Basketball Head Coach Sue Newcomb, who recruited Thompson to play for the Ospreys.

“Until then I hadn’t really thought about going to college,” she said.

Thompson, who is Maori — or among the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand — said she and her brother were the first Maori players in the 1970s to play in New Jersey.

“We opened the door for other Kiwi players to come to the United States. We were able to send five other players from New Zealand to Middle Township as well,” she said.

A point guard, Thompson wore No. 40 during her four years at Stockton, humbly recalling: “We were not too bad. We got to NCAA and NJAC (tournaments) several times.”

In 1984, Thompson completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a 3.8 GPA and returned to New Zealand.

“There was an opportunity to stay and work in Stockton Athletics, but my Dad felt it was time to come home.

“Making the national women’s basketball team became my focus. I managed to do that the following year and for the next five years,” she said.

A competitor at heart, Thompson said she missed the intensity of the daily structured training she experienced at Stockton. “New Zealand is a culture of participation. I enjoyed the culture of competition” in the United States.

Thompson used her psychology degree to support her work in youth and community development over the next four decades, while still volunteering with basketball. “I had an eclectic work background to fit around training, travel, playing and family. I was always grateful I could find work that aligns with my values.”

Thompson was recognized with a 40 Years Long-Service Award by Basketball New Zealand, the national body of the sport, in 2024 and last year she received a King’s Service Award for her volunteer work in basketball.

She credits her time at Stockton for helping to grow her understanding and practice of the value of service and community.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunities – basketball, friendship, education and community – that Stockton afforded me. As I grow older, I realize how fortunate I have been and will always keep paying that forward.”

All in the family

After returning to New Zealand, Thompson married and she passed her love for the sport on to her three children.

Thompson’s brother stayed in Cape May County, later marrying the daughter of Thompson’s host family.

A visit to Rewi brought Thompson and her sister, Monica, back to the United States recently. “It’s quite important to us that his children and grandchildren know where he is from and that our children and grandchildren know their cousins and relatives,” she said, explaining the family’s willingness to endure the 18-hour flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

But it was a Stockton social media post, however, that prompted Thompson’s visit to campus.

“I saw last year Stockton had an indigenous art exhibit and events. When I returned home in 1984, we were reclaiming our Maori language and culture. I got involved. So, when I saw Professor Jeremy Newman’s video, I emailed him and asked about meeting some people involved in the exhibition.”

“Indigenous Approaches, Sustainable Futures” was a two-floor exhibit in Stockton’s Art Gallery in fall 2024.

During her visit, Thompson also was invited to participate in a gathering with Nanticoke Lenni Lenape in Bridgeton.

She also made time to visit Newcomb, reconnect with four former teammates and friends and her former preceptor, Jan Colijn — and perhaps enjoy a few of the hot pretzels she grew to love during Intramural Recreation Council fundraisers while she was at Stockton.

Story by Stacey Clapp