Notre Dame Basketball: Irish Land Commit From 4-Star Prospect T.J Gibbs
Irish land 2016 four-star point guard recruit
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It appears Notre Dame isn’t going to need that second chance. Seton Hall (N.J) Prep School junior guard T.J. Gibbs came in not wanting to expect too much in his first visit to the campus of Notre Dame. Before his tour was over and he headed home, he offered his official commitment to coach Mike Brey and assistant Anthony Solomon.
The Irish made an impression on the court last season with an ACC Tournament title and their first trip to the Elite Eight since 1979. His time on campus with freshman forward Bonzie Colson helped cement things in. T.J., whose given name is Temple, spent the weekend with Colson playing pickup games with returning members of the Irish, hanging out in the dorms and touring the rest of the campus.
The four-star prospect was top on the list for Brey for the 2016 class, and will be part of at least a three-man class, possibly more depending on the future of Demetrius Jackson. After a breakout sophomore season, Jackson saw his draft stock rise, and at least considered entering the NBA Draft this season. It’s a decision that will probably come up again following next year.
The No. 7 PG as ranked by 247Sports, Gibbs had made an official visit to Oklahoma, and Georgetown and Providence unofficially. His older brother Ashton Gibbs played for the Pittsburgh Panthers, was an All-Big East selection and an honorable mention for All-American in 2011. Ashton’s record against the Irish in his time there? 1-5.
Overall, Gibbs is ranked No. 38 by ESPN.com, No. 44 by 247Sports, No. 57 by Scout.com and No. 66 by Rivals.com. He averaged 17 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a junior at Seton Hall Prep, one of New Jersey’s most respected prep schools.
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Upon their first visit to see him play, Brey and Solomon made it clear to Gibbs that he was their guy. Now for the second recruiting season in a row, the Irish have landed their top target before the summer evaluation process begins. Last year they landed small forward Matt Ryan from Courtland Manor, N.Y. before the July AAU circuit began.
"“It means a lot that they wanted me,” Gibbs said. “Now I know that my job is to help get other kids to go there and keep that winning tradition that they have. I don’t want to let anybody down.“I want to be great out there.” h/t Tom Noie, Elkhart Truth"
Gibbs made his announcement via Instagram, wearing a No. 23 jersey. That’s not necessarily the number he’ll wear when he finally puts it on officially, but it’s just a number. “I just needed a jersey number for the picture,” said Gibbs, who will sign his official letter of intent in November.