Recruiting Report: Reggie Gibson (2016)

(Photo credit: Aurora Sentinel)

There are few better ways to prepare yourself as a competitor than by competing against the best in your field.

That’s why 2016 point guard Reggie Gibson was so thankful for his final summer on the grassroots circuit with the Colorado Hawks. The Adidas Uprising circuit allows for no slacking, and Gibson had to bring it every week while holding the court against top national prospects like Kobi Simmons and Dennis Smith Jr.

“It made me realize, playing against those guys, that that’s the highest standard of what a point guard is,” said Gibson, a 5-foot-10 point who recently began his senior year at Overland. “They have everything that a college needs, and playing against them you know what you need to work on.”

Playing that level of competition helped Gibson realize the areas he needs to focus on as he prepares to take over as the Trailblazers’ lead ball-handler. Becoming quicker on his feet defensively and becoming more explosive in order to get his shots up quicker are among the priorities.

Gibson has big shoes to fill as he takes over for Austin Conway, now a freshman at Wyoming, who helped guide Overland to the state title last season.

Gibson, though, certainly played his part. He began turning heads during the Trailblazers’ postseason run with his superb ball-handling ability and an ability to get into the lane and finish against guards – and posts – who are much bigger.

The dribbling aspect of his game, Gibson says, “is a God-given talent for me” that really blossomed around the sixth grade. But Gibson realized that all the great dribbling in the world wouldn’t do him any good if he couldn’t use it to get anywhere.

“As I started getting older, I started getting quicker and that helped me get by my defender,” he said. “I started reading people better. It was really about getting into shape and being able to explode out of my moves.”

Gibson, who was Overland’s second-leading scorer last season (11.0 points per game) behind blue-chip prospect De’Ron Davis (16.3), closed the season strong. He scored 24 points in the Trailblazer’s opening playoff game, then tallying double-digit numbers in each of Overland’s final three games of the postseason.

“That meant a lot,” Gibson said of his finishing kick. “My freshman and sophomore year I didn’t really play a lot, and my coach (Danny Fisher) just kept telling me to stay hungry and keep working. When (guard) Jervae Robinson transferred, (Fisher) told me, ‘This is your time to shine, so you have to work hard and get after it. I lost weight, and I saw progress throughout the season.”

Gibson carried the progress into this season, and the slick point guard has seen a bump in his recruiting as a result.

“The most recent school I’ve talked to is Montana, and I’m looking to set up a visit with them pretty soon,” said Gibson, who added that Langston University, New Mexico Military Institute and University of Dallas have also shown interest.

“I’m just ready to show people I’ve been improving year by year,” Gibson said. “I know colleges will like that. I’m just trying to get a free education and get to the highest school again.”