Jaylon Gibson, a 3 Star 2020 F/C, recently backed off his commitment from Wake Forest after the firing of Head Coach Danny Manning. Since his decommitment, Gibson has received interest from quite a few schools. Among them is the University of Louisville, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.
Jaylon Gibson, who decommitted from Wake Forest today, has heard from Maryland, Iowa, Louisville, South Florida, Houston, Syracuse, UNCW, Providence and Miami, his coach told ESPN.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 27, 2020
6-foot-11 power forward in the 2020 class.
Some of the other high major schools jumping in on the recruitment of Gibson are Maryland, Iowa, Miami, Houston, and Syracuse. He’s ranked the 55th best PF in the nation by 247sports. He’s stands 6’11 and plays for Grace Christian School in Raleigh, NC.
Louisville is looking to add depth in the front court, especially at the 5. Originally, it was believed that Coach Chris Mack would look to a grad transfer for an experienced big man to back up Malik Williams and allow Aidan Igiehon to mature some more. However, a talented high school prospect becoming available this late in the process for this year’s class may be too much to pass up. It may also speak to the fact Coach Mack believes Aidan will be able to play valuable minutes in a back up role to Malik this year.
Of course, the main reason Coach Mack is interested in Gibson is because he is talented. In watching Gibson’s highlights, he’s a long, athletic big. He’s adept a blocking shots around the rim because he has a big wingspan. Gibson is very good at crashing the boards and rebounding out of his area. He can chase the ball down.
Offensively, he likes to finish with dunks around the rim. He’s a guy you can throw alley oops to and he will finish. What’s really great about Gibson, though, is that he has a lot of guard-type skills. On numerous occasions in his highlights, Gibson takes a rebound and then dribbles coast to coast for a layup. He handles the ball like a guard. In some cases, he brings the ball up off a rebound and makes great open court passes to his teammates for easy buckets. Sometimes, Gibson can be at the free throw line and make an aggressive move off the dribble, get to the rim, and finish.
In the post, he has nice touch. He has decent footwork, but will likely need to develop some low post moves. Coach Mike Pegues could definitely help with that. He is able to do a good job of sealing off defenders in the post and making himself open for easy buckets. Gibson is decisive with the ball in the post. He looks to make a quick move and go up. One thing that people will love is Gibson is an excellent passer in the post. He doesn’t panic when double or triple teamed. He is able to locate the open man and hit him with a pinpoint pass.
It’s easy to see why Coach Mack and numerous high major schools are jumping in the Jaylon Gibson sweepstakes. He’s actually under the radar. He does need to add some muscle to really be able to be effective in a Power 5 conference. Muscle can always be added in a college weight program, but a 7’0 tall player with a giant wingspan and guard skills is something you can’t teach. He’s still got some learning to do, especially in the post. However, the talent is undeniable and he could grow into a special player. It will be interesting to see if Louisville really turns up the intensity in his recruitment. If they do and they get him to commit, Louisville will have gotten a steal.
