Should Gilbert Stay or Go?
The Story: Alterique Gilbert is scheduled to graduate with eligibility remaining and with it a decision on his basketball future is coming. What are Gilbert’s options?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Gilbert has at least one year of eligibility left because he redshirted his freshman year. In fact, Gilbert is also a candidate for a sixth-year medical hardship waiver since he missed two years recovering from shoulder surgery. It really is up to Gilbert if he wants to play college basketball for one or two more years and where.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Dan Hurley said on Wednesday that Gilbert will decide in the next week if he will be honored on Senior Day. If he is, that doesn’t mean he can’t come back. If he isn’t, that doesn’t mean he is definitely coming back. But, we would get a good idea of what he thinks and where he stands if he decides to be honored alongside classmate Christian Vital.
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES? Gilbert has a lot to think about. He is graduating, and if he remains in any school it require graduate-level courses, which, if he wants to get a graduate degree, is a no-brainer. Where does Gilbert fit at UConn next year? Tough question. UConn is going to be crowded in the backcourt with R.J. Cole eligible and Jalen Gaffney, Brendan Adams and James Bouknight a year older. There might not be enough room for Gilbert, though we are betting his speed, defense and ballhandling would get him in the rotation somehow. The Huskies also could use his scholarship for another big man and are actively recruiting.
IF HE TRANSFERS? Gilbert could always grad transfer to another place and play out his college career of one or even two years somewhere else. Having potentially two years of eligibility would likely make him an attractive transfer option, but does Gilbert honestly want to spend six years in college? For reference, Gilbert was in the same recruiting class and played in the McDonald’s All-American game against Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. We aren’t sure if he plays one more year of basketball it will open up any additional opportunities for him.
WHAT ABOUT PROS? If the goal is professional basketball, it is probably best for him at his age to get started this summer trying to connect with professional teams and start earning money playing the sport. Every year not playing professional will be less money he brings in for his career. Obviously, there is the NBA Draft process (we don’t expect him to be a draft candidate) and also potential summer league opportunities, which is great exposure for G League and international scouts. There is pro basketball across the globe and a good experience for a person in their 20s to experience. Why wait?
BOTTOM LINE: Gilbert has had a tough go of it at UConn and both sides have done well by each other. Gilbert has spent four years in Storrs and will graduate with a degree. He gave the team almost everything he had and then some coming back from painful surgeries on his shoulders. It isn’t a simple decision for Gilbert to make, and there are a lot of factors to consider, but moves like this are a chance to setup the next several years of his life. At this point, it should be about him.
#IceBus Full Speed Ahead
The Story: The men’s hockey team is no longer sneaking up on the rest of Hockey East as the Huskies are hosting No. 8-ranked UMass tonight at the XL Center and Saturday in Amherst with with plenty at stake.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn is tied for fourth in the Hockey East with 24 points, just two points behind second-place UMass with three games to go in the regular season. Conference-leading Boston College has 28 points. UConn is coming off two stellar wins last weekend over Boston University and is 7-1 in its last eight Hockey East games to rise up the rankings. Against BU, the Huskies were paced by Alexsander Payusov‘s hat trick in a 6-1 win on Saturday.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH HOCKEY: We admittedly don’t know the sport very well, but we are expecting a good crowd tonight in Hartford for one of the bigger games in UConn history. If you can’t make it to the XL, the game can be streamed on CBS All Access. The Huskies need to finish among the top eight teams in Hockey East to qualify and are five points away from out of the tournament and four points from first place in the ultra-competitive conference.
HOW GOOD IS HOCKEY EAST? In the latest rankings, BC is No. 4, UMass is No. 8 and UConn’s finale is against No. 12 UMass-Lowell. Northeastern (No. 13) Maine (No. 14) and Providence (No. 19) are also ranked in the top 20. The Huskies? They received six votes in the last poll and could burst into the rankings with another big weekend.
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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JIM PENDERS AND THE BASEBALL TEAM?: UConn is playing at New Orleans in a three-game set this weekend. (UConnHuskies.com)
