We are profiling each member of the 2013-14 Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball team. Check in daily leading up to Creighton’s regular season opener against Alcorn State Nov. 8 for an introduction to this season’s Bluejays, from newcomers to seniors. Check out all the previews here.
Grant Gibbs (#10 / G / 6-5 / 210 lbs / R-Sr.)
Creighton fans might point to July 2 as a key milestone if the 2013-2014 season finds the Bluejays pushing for a Big East title and returning to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight time. That’s the day Grant Gibbs heard from the NCAA regarding his application for a sixth season of eligibility. The folks in Indianapolis sided with Gibbs and his coaches, past and present, and just like that Greg and Doug McDermott had another critical piece to two recent championship seasons back in the fold.
To say Gibbs has been integral to Creighton’s success during the past few seasons is an understatement. No one sets Doug McDermott up better for scoring opportunities. No one understands as many nuances of the game — on both ends of the court. No one throws inbounds passes off opponents’ backs. Dude is filthy, crafty, savvy, skilled, smooth, etc. Plenty of adjectives, each applicable to Gibbs’ hybrid game.
He was a rarity in the Missouri Valley Conference — a wing player who led his team (and the conference) in assists in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. He was second in the MVC in assist/turnover ratio as a sophomore and first last season, now technically his junior year.
Gibbs was the team’s third-leading rebounder (4.1 rebounds per game) and led the squad in steals. No slouch with his shot, he made 53% of his field goal attempts, 39% of his three-point attempts, and 76% of his free throws en route to 8.5 points per game (third-best on the team).
Gibbs won’t win a Player of the Year award. He couldn’t crack the All-MVC teams the past two years. But outside of McDermott, you’d be hard pressed to make a case that any other Bluejay is as valuable as Gibbs. Not that it is a silver bullet stat or anything, but Gibbs last season posted by far the best plus-minus figure for the season (+459).
Still, stats aren’t the true measure of what Gibbs means to the Bluejays. He’s a calming, knowledgeable cog of one of the nation’s best offenses. And regardless of how many points he scores, Gibbs is crucial to the success of his teammates on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He’s another coach on the floor.
Gibbs graduated from the outstanding Journalism program at Creighton (Subtle plug from an alum. Ahem.) in May. So he’s working on an integrated leadership graduate degree. A proven general on the court, I can only imagine he’s more than competent in this area. His team’s success during a transition year (in so many ways) greatly depends on his leadership on and off the court.
Watch our interview with Gibbs from Creighton’s Media Day:
