Healthy again, Gilbert drawing attention
It didn't take long for Lithonia (Ga.) Miller Grove point guard Alterique Gilbert to establish himself as one of the top point guards in the Peach State. As a freshman, he played a significant role in helping Miller Grove win a fifth straight state championship, and he came back as a sophomore playing an even bigger role in helping them win a sixth straight title this season.
Advertisement
Travel season didn't go as well for Gilbert. A shoulder injury suffered in late April kept him out of action until Memorial Day weekend. Back at full strength now, the 6-foot lead guard took his talents to St. Louis this past weekend to participate in the Nike Elite 100 camp.
"It went well," Gilbert said. "I thought I played really well. It was a good camp. There were a lot of good players there. It was one of the better camps I've been to."
When the clock struck midnight on Saturday night, college basketball coaches were free to begin calling and texting prospects in the 2016 class as much as they want. Gilbert's phone rang pretty frequently on Sunday afternoon.
"I talked to Alabama, Texas A&M, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida State, Cincinnati, Georgia and Stanford. Georgia Tech offered, but I haven't talked to them yet. My offers are from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, California and there might be a couple others."
Gilbert has yet to take any unofficial visits, but says he might make the short trip to Athens to see the University of Georgia soon.
Early on in the recruiting process, Gilbert says three schools stand out to him the most.
"I like Alabama, Florida State, and I really like UConn. UConn hasn't offered, but they just called me."
The Crimson Tide coaching staff has made a strong impression on Gilbert.
"I like the coaching staff. I like their style of play. I could see myself playing like Trevor Releford did for them."
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton and assistant coach Charlton Young recruit the Peach State hard and have made Gilbert a priority.
"I like their program a lot. I like the coaches, Coach Hamilton and Coach 'CY.' I also like how they play. They let their guards play and basically control what's going on like a coach on the floor."
Kevin Ollie's quick success as a head coach at Connecticut combined with his experience playing point guard in the NBA has put in the Huskies in good shape should they decide to offer Gilbert.
"UConn lets their guards play and they know how to win. Them winning the national title grabbed my attention. Even if they didn't win the title, I'd still consider them one of my favorites. Coach Ollie could help me a lot with my game."
Georgia and Georgia Tech both have had former Miller Grove players in recent years and they have both given positive feedback on their respective programs to Gilbert.
"I like Georgia Tech because our former Miller Grove point guard Mfon Udofia played there and he told me about the program. He said it's a great program."
"Georgia has Brandon Morris and Donte Williams that played here at Miller Grove. Brandon is a good friend of mine. He tells me all about his experiences up there. "
Sporting a 3.9 GPA, it makes sense that schools with a strong academic reputation have been in contact with Gilbert already. Stanford put in a phone call on Sunday afternoon.
"Stanford called me on Sunday. If they come in and offer, I'd definitely look into it. It's a really good school."
At the moment, Gilbert's plan is to make a decision on where he'll play college basketball shortly after his junior season at Miller Grove comes to an end.
"I'm not completely sure yet. It might be during school towards the end of the school year next year, like April or May. I'm just going to weigh my options and talk to my parents and see what everybody says."
Dan McDonald is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
Click Here to view this Link.
[rl]