All in the family

Basketball coaches want their players to be like a family on the court.
For the Gibbs family, Duke, Aaron, and Matt, it comes more naturally than other players.
“It’s always good to have great kids in your program,” said Terry Sellers, head Bobcats basketball coach. “Especially to have three from the same family. It makes it easier to come to practice each day when you have players like the Gibbs.”
Duke is the oldest of the Gibbs. He is in his fourth season with the Bobcats. He played in every game and started in 12 as a freshman. He remembers the closeness of his family growing up in Tifton, Ga.
“My cousin, Matt, lived in our town for three years, so we got to know him really well,” said Duke. “Now, we have a really close family.”
Matt graduated from Hart County High School in Hartwell, Ga. He moved away from his cousins, but still kept a tight bond between them. He was excited about coming to GC&SU to play with his cousins.
“That [playing with Duke and Aaron] was always in the back of my head,” said Matt. “I definitely wanted to come here and play with them. Ever since I was in high school, I wanted to play college ball.”
Aaron is Duke’s younger brother and earned First Team All-Region honors twice at Tift County High School. Aaron enjoys the competitiveness between the family members on the court.
“It’s always competitive,” said Aaron. “It’s always been like that in our family. On the court we always go hard.”
The young men are not the only Gibbs to grace the hard court of Georgia College & State University. Duke and Aaron’s father, Jack Gibbs, played for the Georgia College Colonials from 1976-78 under Head Coach Stan Aldridge (current athletic director).
“My dad did influence me, but he never forced me to come here,” said Duke. “So, I didn’t want to force them [Aaron and Matt]. I did influence them a little bit. I thought it’d be really neat for them to come here.”
Last January, Aaron and Duke’s father, Jack, was stricken with liver cancer. Duke remembers playing through the mental anguish caused by his father’s illness with little difficulty, because he knew the matter was beyond his control.
“It was a shock, but it never affected my play like I imagined it would,” said Duke. “The doctor’s didn’t give him much hope. They gave him six to eight months to live, but I knew that there was nothing I could do.”
Coach Sellers noticed Duke’s resolve during his father’s cancer treatment and eventual recovery.
“I don’t think it had any real affect on his performance,” said Sellers. “I think that’s due to Duke’s mental toughness. He has a strong ability to focus on what to do in practice. That speaks very well of his character and faith.”
With a healthy father looking on from the bleachers, Duke, Aaron and their cousin Matt will help the Bobcats play more like a family.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 23 2004. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry