They live together in the same Lincoln Hall dorm room, but the similarities between Walter Thompson and Jerry Sanders go far beyond that.

Each player began this year hoping to be a contributing factor for the NIU hoops squad. But it wasn’t meant to be, as the basketball season finished out and — for dubious reasons — neither Thompson nor Sanders was left on the roster.

Then there’s their size distinctions. At 5 foot 10 inches, Thompson was the smallest player on the team, while the 6-foot-8 Sanders, brother of former NBA player Leon Smith, was closest to the clouds. A blur on the hardwood, Thompson was expected to see spot duty as a developing freshman point guard, while Sanders would fill the middle void left by T.J. Lux and provide a stabling force against any Red Woods the opposition might throw.

In addition, Sanders and Thompson were the only underclassmen from Chicago on the team. Thompson came from Kenwood Academy, where he led the team in points and assists with 23 and 6, respectively, and even drove the team bus. Hailing from the North Side’s Gordon Tech, Sanders came to DeKalb as a prodigy, averaging a modest 8.5 points and 7.9 rebounds a game.

Their stories at NIU are less successful.

Sanders’ struggle

Failing to attract bigger-name schools, Sanders chose Huskie-land as an opportunity to improve his game in the Mid-American Conference — which he says is just as good as the more-famous Big Ten or ACC.

After a freshman season that saw him produce 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds a game, he worked during the summer to improve his weaknesses, doing everything that then-head coach Brian Hammel asked of him. He missed the first exhibition game of the season due to missed classes, but returned to star for the Huskies in four games, racking up 49 points in limited minutes on 58-percent shooting from the field. The play was solid, and Sanders was willing to do the intangibles of rebounding and guarding the opposing teams’ best interior players.

But as the Huskies continued to lose, he found himself discouraged by limited floor time.

“You’re sitting on the bench and you know you’ve got the ability to help, but you’re not given the time or chance to help,” Sanders said. “I think, personally, when I was given the chance to play, I think I did good.”

Struggling with a lack of opportunity, Sanders became frustrated — really frustrated. As the season stretched on, he saw little improvement within the team or with his own relationship with Hammel.

“Me and Hammel kept clashing,” he said. “Personally, I don’t have a beef against Hammel, but I just didn’t like his coaching style and the way he handled things off the court. I’m not saying he’s a bad coach. Hey, the way he was coaching might’ve worked with a different team. But I didn’t think it was happening with this team.”

Eventually getting into a heated argument with Hammel during practice, Sanders knew it was time to go in another direction. He packed up his things and left the team, now faced with rough times.

“It was hard quitting,” Sanders said. “I felt like I let everyone of [my teammates] down. Being with them every day and going through all of that hard stuff with them. When I said ‘Forget this,’ I felt like I was saying forget them, too. I just knew that I wasn’t going to be pleasant to be around when all of this stuff was happening. Me and Hammel were just clashing too much.

“You do it so long, and then you just go and stop playing, and I just hate losing and sitting by on a bench and watching it happen,” he said. “When you are watching the team but you are not given a chance to help them, it is just a weird feeling.”

Initially, Sanders was hit with a drought of depression. While he spent most of his days at the Campus Recreation Center, his roommate was flourishing on the team. But not for long.

Thompson’s turn

Starting several games during mid-season, Thompson was given time to prove himself and had many solid outings as the Huskies’ floor general.

Then Hammel resigned, passing his coaching duties to assistant Andy Greer, and Thompson’s time was drastically decreased.

Never really on good terms with Greer, Thompson felt it was just a matter of time before the bridge broke. And in a situation that mirrored that of his roommate, unkind words were exchanged between him and Greer. Thompson was released because of the encounter.

“I felt like I was letting the team down [after I was let go for the season],” he said. “The way I dealt with the whole situation was in an immature manner, but I’ve grown from it. It’s all in the past now and I look forward to next year and a new beginning with coach [Rob] Judson on the team.”

Sanders also is looking forward to next year — but NIU won’t be in his plans. While he’s still unsure where he’ll go, he has contemplated heading overseas to play, and now is especially excited about Kennedy King Junior College.

“I just want to say thanks to all the people here that helped me at NIU, especially (athletic director) Cary Groth and (associate athletics director) Robert Collins for putting up with all of my [garbage],” Sanders said.

Collins wishes Sanders luck beyond NIU, but is upset that a promising player blew a good thing.

“We all learn in life, and you either learn the easy way or the hard way,” Collins said.

As for the two similar roommates about to head in opposite directions, a relationship has developed that won’t be forgotten.

“Whatever path he takes and feels is best for him, I will be behind him all the way,” Thompson said. “I’ll always be there for him with whatever he needs.”