| Devin Gibson |
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? UTSA freshman Devin Gibson (Houston/Cypress Falls HS) has added to his ever-growing postseason awards collection, as he earned the NCAA steals statistical title with the recent release of the final Division I men’s basketball numbers.
Gibson, a 6-0 point guard from Cy-Falls High School, posted 93 steals in 28 games for a 3.3 average on the season, edging Devan Downey of South Carolina, who recorded 103 in 32 games for a 3.2 mark. The Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and a second-team all-conference selection became the first freshman to lead Division I in thefts since Joel Hoover of Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1997 and just the third all-time (Jason Kidd, California, 1993).
His 93 steals rank second on UTSA’s single-season chart behind Ronnie Ellison’s 97 in 1990-91 and helped the Roadrunners tie Duke and Sacred Heart for 25th in the NCAA team rankings, as they registered 262 thefts in 30 contests, or 8.7 per game. Gibson also stands fourth on the league’s single-season steals list and became just the seventh player from the SLC to lead the nation in a statistical category, the first since Wojciech Myrda of Louisiana-Monroe (Blocked Shot Average, 2002, 5.38).
Gibson also finished the year ranked 51st in assists per game, dishing out 112 dimes in 28 contests for a 5.1 average. For complete NCAA statistical rankings, please visit here.
In April, Gibson was named to the collegeinsider.com Freshman Mid-Major All-America Team and to the CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Freshman First Team. In addition to the steals and assists numbers, he averaged 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds and shot 43.6 percent from the field and 70.1 percent from the free throw line in playing a team-high 33.5 minutes per game. In league play, Gibson posted 15.2 points and 4.3 boards in addition to SLC-bests of 5.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game.
He led the Roadrunners in scoring 16 times this season and topped 20 points eight times, including a season-high 27 in the 103-96 overtime victory at Texas State on Feb. 23 and in the SLC Tournament first-round loss to Stephen F. Austin on March 13.
Gibson, who was named SLC Player of the Week on Feb. 25, posted three double-doubles during the year, including 10 points and a season-best 13 assists (one shy of the school record) in the 81-77 win over Central Arkansas on Jan. 17. He also tallied four or more steals 15 times, highlighted by a season-high seven picks in the 77-67 win over Navy on Nov. 17. Gibson’s season-high 10 rebounds came as part of a double-double (13 points) against nationally-ranked Texas on Nov. 12.