Gilbert to AAC: ‘I Wish I Could Quit You’
The Story: UConn may be leaving the AAC, but Alterique Gilbert isn’t. After taking a little more than a week to find his next home, Gilbert wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning that he will be transferring to Wichita State.
QUITE A SHOCKER: Gilbert has at least one year of eligibility remaining and should be able to successfully petition for a sixth because of injuries. That’s what made him appealing to many schools, with Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, Cincinnati and Arkansas among those reportedly recruiting him. A McDonald’s All-American in 2016, Gilbert originally suggested it would be appealing to play closer to his Atlanta home, but he decided otherwise.
AND YOU THOUGHT THE FOOTBALL TEAM’S SITUATION WAS BAD: Wichita State has somehow had seven scholarship players enter the transfer portal since the season ended prematurely two weeks ago. According to the Wichita Eagle, that’s a combined 66 starts, 3,171 minutes and 1,099 points suddenly gone after the Shockers went 23-8 and 11-7 in the conference last season. It’s no wonder Gilbert, who admitted to struggling with coming off the bench late in the season, decided to head to Wichita State: The Shockers didn’t have a point guard as all three have left the program.
BOTTOM LINE: Two seasons lost to shoulder injuries and other minor ailments prevented Gilbert from becoming a transcendent player at UConn. Now, he’ll have at least one season to get himself acclimated to a new role at Wichita State before pursuing a professional career. It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out as everyone expected, but we will him well with his fresh start.
