It is just about 5 months until the beginning of the NCAA basketball season and teams have retooled their rosters during the offseason. Teams like Duke and UNC have received the cream of the crop in recruiting as always, but other teams have also been trying their best to make their teams better.
The main goal of any season is to win a conference championship, and then play for the national championship and bring that trophy back to campus. This coming season the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will try and do both. They have added a guard with great skills in Temple Gibbs Jr.
Notre Dame made it deep in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament last season with a trip to the elite 8, but they ran into a juggernaut in UNC. During the tournament Notre Dame would not blow out teams in route to tougher matchups, but they would barely grab a victory.
It was only a matter of time before they ran into a team that would knock them out by a large margin.
Playing in close games does give a team experience in those situations, however they need to learn how to pull away from their opponents. The players they had gave them a shot, but this new addition in Gibbs can put them over the top.
These are some of the skills that Gibbs brings to the table.
Ball Handling
Gibbs is comfortable moving with or without the ball. That is a key attribute to have as a young player because it can open the floor for his other teammates to score. When he does have the ball he can score off the dribble.
He moves like a traditional guard and is careful with the ball. He also knows how to attack the rim when he finds a path to the basket. Gibbs can also be a spot up shooter if necessary, and the way he moves without the ball he can create open shots for himself.
Being able to drive to the rim at will and shoot 3’s makes him versatile on offense and that is the type of player every team needs.
Court Vision
The type of court vision that Gibbs has will be a big asset to him at the college level. The way he find openings on the court to begin his drive to the basket makes him a hard defensive assignment.
The last thing defenders want to do is let Gibbs blow past them, but with his quickness that is a high probability. His court vision can also help him on defense as well as offense.
He will improve as he gets to the college level and playing in the Notre Dame program should help him mature as an athlete. Other ACC teams will have a problem defending him especially if he improves on the skills he already has.
Gibbs has the opportunity to prove that he can be better than most of the top names of his recruiting class. He can dominate with a 6’3 190lbs frame in high school, but when he gets on the court for the Fighting Irish he will have to show that his game is superior to whoever he faces. In division 1 basketball players move much quicker and use more force going to the rim and Gibbs has what it take to be that type of player.