by Arielle Andres
SAN ANTONIO — Numerous athletics and academic awards have been bestowed upon Devin Gibson during his three-plus seasons at UTSA, but the senior point guard has only one desire, a Southland Conference title.
In fact, the Houston native had no idea that he was merely the 13th Roadrunner to pass the 1,000-point plateau and currently ranks third all-time more than 1,500 points.
“I never dreamed of coming to college and breaking records. It was more about doing what I needed to do in order to help my team win,” Gibson said. “I just work to be the best I can be, and if at the end of the day I was able to break records, that’s just a plus because getting a championship ring is our number one goal.”
He has come close to grasping the title in making an appearance in the 2009 Southland Tournament Championship Game, but has never won the ring.
“Getting that close but not winning provides more motivation,” Gibson said. “We just need to get past any limits we think we may have, and keep knocking on that door. Hopefully this year it will open.”
Gibson believes the chemistry on this year’s squad is the best he has ever seen at UTSA. He has had to adapt to multiple lineup changes each season as players come and go and admits that has been tough, but he says this team has a special personality.
As the only senior on the team, Gibson was automatically placed in a leadership role and has the veteran experience to back it up. Each of his teammates expresses confidence in him, and he creates plays so they can confirm confidence within themselves.
“Toward the start of the season, all 13 guys were looking to me for guidance,” Gibson said. “Even now, if they have a problem, they can come to me and I’ll help them. This was the role I wanted as a senior.”
It’s not uncommon for the team to look to the senior, because when the game is on the line, he is clutch. If the team needs something good to happen, he is usually the player to make or create that big play.
On Dec. 4, Gibson sunk a jumper from the free-throw line to give the Roadrunners an 84-81 cushion against Pepperdine with 17.4 ticks left. On Jan. 19, with the shot clock winding down in the final minute, he dribbled into the lane and drew four Northwestern State defenders before finding freshman T.J. Williams all alone under the basket for a game-clinching dunk in a 63-58 victory. Those are just two of several examples of his late-game heroics.
“For me, it’s just playing a lot of basketball over the years,” Gibson said regarding his play-making ability in tight situations. “Being in that position multiple times is just practice for the next time it happens. You just have to have confidence that you can change the game.”
For Gibson, that confidence comes from two components — preparation and anticipation. Spectators generally see his ability to lead his team, but this leader spends the majority of his day preparing for the next game to lead himself.
“I watch a lot of game film by myself,” Gibson said. “I study the guards and see what they like to do and which way they will want to go. I prepare that way, and then come game time I anticipate the offense I saw during the film.
While records don’t mean as much to the Houston native, he admits it is neat to hear his name mentioned with some of the past UTSA greats. He broke Lloyd Williams’ career steals record in the second game of this season at Evansville and eclipsed Devin Brown’s mark for career free throws against Bowling Green.
A Bob Cousy Award nominee for the nation’s top point guard and a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award candidate, Gibson has registered five double-doubles this season. Included in that list is his first career triple-double and just the second in school history (Devin Brown, 2001) when he registered 17 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Samford on Dec. 20.
Gibson is technically the point guard, but he can crash the board with the tallest players on the floor, as he is averaging more than five rebounds per game. He also is well known for innovative passes that you could potentially miss with the blink of an eye, while averaging five and a half assists per contest. Perhaps the stat that has best built his reputation regionally and nationally is his knack for steals. Four seasons ago, he became just the third freshman to ever lead the NCAA in steals per game with 3.3 (Jason Kidd was one of the other two) and he currently ranks in he top five nationally this season with more than three per outing.
“I just focus on making winning plays,” Gibson said. “If I want to go rebound, I’m going all out to go get that rebound. As far as passing, most of it is seeing the floor and knowing where the guys are going to be. We go through the same routine over and over, so it becomes like clockwork. As for the steals, I study my opponents on film and get to know their tendencies and I guess I just have quick hands.”
Gibson says that his relationship with his coaches has become a personal bond. He feels he can go to the coaching staff for anything and they are more like family to him than anything else.
“One of the main reasons I chose UTSA was because of Coach Thompson and the rest of the coaches made it feel like family,” Gibson said. “When I was younger, I played on the same travel team since I was in the fifth grade, and by the time we were seniors it felt like family. I got that same vibe here and the coaches made this a great fit for me.”
Fifth-year head coach Brooks Thompson recognizes his only senior as a special asset to this team.
“Devin is the consummate point guard,” Thompson said. “He’s like having another coach out on the floor, which doesn’t come around too often. I expect a lot of out Devin and he understands that, but he has been a fantastic player for us since the moment he stepped foot on campus. Not only that, he’s been an outstanding student and role model.”
Gibson can recognize when Thompson is putting the pressure on him during the game. He even admits that as a freshman he would acknowledge him every time with a “Yes, sir.” Now he just keeps playing, because Thompson usually only wants him to recognize that he made a mistake and to fix it before he tries it again.
He also recognizes great potential with his younger teammates. Freshman Jeromie Hill became the first Roadrunner to post a double-double in his debut and provided an encore with 27 points and 12 rebounds in his second game. Fellow first-year players T.J. Williams, Tyler Wood, Jordan Sims, Igor Nujic and his backup point guard Ryan Whitehead all have contributed large roles this season.
“This freshman class is the best class to come through here,” Gibson said. “It will be really special if those guys can stay together for four years. I would love to see what they accomplish.”
When Gibson is not on the court, he is usually video games on his PlayStation. The information systems and infrastructure assurance major also has to keep up with courses regarding technology that have yet to even hit the market. He knows that computers are the way of the future and he devotes extra time to his tough classes.
“Everybody has their weak points,” Gibson said. “I’ve learned that it’s the people who work on their weak points harder than those who only work on their strong points are the ones who rise to the top. I work pretty hard to balance everything.”
Gibson hopes to play basketball as long as he is able and can potentially see himself advancing to the professional level. When he is finally done with hoops, he will pursue a career in information systems.
For now, as long as the senior standout lives up to his motto, “consistency is key,” we will continue to see him consistently outperform our expectations and continue writing history in the UTSA record book.
NOTE: This story originally appeared in the UTSA Basketball Game Program on Jan. 24 and has been updated for accuracy.
