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Sunday, August 1, 2010
Relationships with coaches swayed Gibson
Percy Gibson came back from an AAU tournament in Los Angeles and discussed the pros and cons about Dayton with his mother this weekend before making a decision.
“There wasn’t really any cons as I thought about it. It was time to do it,” he said.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior-to-be at Detroit Southeastern High School gave the Flyers a verbal commitment today, becoming the first member of UD’s 2011 recruiting class.
The biggest draw for Gibson was the bonds he built with the Flyer coaching staff. Assistant Cornell Mann has deep roots in Michigan, and Gibson connected with head coach Brian Gregory, too.
“Corn is just a cool guy. He’s from my way. We’ve always had a good relationship. We talked to each other a lot,” Gibson said. “And coach Gregory is just a player’s coach. He’s easy to get along with.”
Southeastern High School coach George Ward certainly was impressed with the recruiting job done by the UD staff.
“Corn was very instrumental in the recruiting of Percy. Not only that, BG is just a personable guy. He makes everyone feel welcome, he makes everyone feel at home,” Ward said. “The city of Dayton is one hell of a community. It’s something a lot of kids would want to be a part of.
“I’m excited just to know I’ll spend three or four years in the city of Dayton, and I’m looking forward to it myself - not just from a personal standpoint, but being able to see my kid fulfill one of his goals and dreams. It’s fulfilling.”
Gibson was believed to be the Flyers’ top target in the 2011 class. They have just two scholarships to give and needed a big man after not landing one with five scholarships in the ’10 class.
Gibson said the attention shown by the UD coaches “was also a big factor in choosing Dayton. It seemed like they really wanted me.”
He had scholarship offers from Southern Cal, Providence and Minnesota, according to Ward. Temple also had shown much interest.
“The Dayton Flyer program is really, really on the rise,” Ward said. “You won an NIT championship, which is great. You’ve got a possible first-round lottery pick (Chris Wright) coming back next year. And you’ve got one of the top 5 to 10 coaches in the country, without question. And it’s only three hours away from home. It turned out to be a great deal.
“I couldn’t be happier for Percy. I know it’s going to be something good for him and his family.”
Though skilled, the knock on Gibson is that he doesn’t always go hard. But Ward said that rap doesn’t appy anymore.
“The funny thing about that is his improvement over the last 10 calendar months has just been outstanding,” Ward said. “He’s taken it to another level. His habits have gotten better as far as working during the course of the game. … We’re looking forward to his senior year, I know that.”
Gibson averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds last season.
“Really, I’m trying to become as dominant as possible,” Gibson said. “I’ve extended my game more toward the perimeter and can knock down 3’s more than last year, but I’m still trying to perfect that. And I’m running the floor more.
“I just want to win. I’m doing whatever it takes to win.”
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TweetFlyers get commitment from post player
Percy Gibson, considered Dayton’s top big-man target among seniors-to-be, made a verbal commitment to the Flyers today.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Detroit native averaged about 17 points and 11 rebounds as a junior last season and had scholarship offers from Southern Cal, Providence and Minnesota, according to his coach.
“In the end, the kid had to feel totally comfortable with the situation, and it was Dayton all the way,” Detroit Southeastern coach George Ward said.
The Flyers had two scholarships for the 2011 class and needed to land at least one post player. They identified Gibson as their No.1 priority.
“From the beginning, they were one of the first schools to recruit me, and ever since then it’s been like family,” Gibson said.
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