Wichita State basketball’s 2020 offseason has been centered around departures, but the program also landed graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert from UConn.
Wichita State basketball’s 2020 offseason has been tumultuous, to say the least. After a season in which the Shockers were hovering around the bubble for the NCAA Tournament before its eventual cancelation, the program has experienced a mass exodus. Eight players (including one walk-on) have already announced their intentions to transfer since the end of the season and there could apparently be more on the way.
Head coach Gregg Marshall clearly has to work diligently on the transfer market to secure impact players for the 2020-21 season and adding transfer Alterique Gilbert was a solid step in that regard. Gilbert is a 6-foot-0 guard that has spent his last four seasons with UConn while struggling with inconsistencies and injury problems. Considering his status as a graduate transfer, he will be immediately eligible for this coming season in hopes of ending his collegiate career on a high note.
Considering UConn is leaving for the Big East this offseason, Gilbert is allowed to transfer to another AAC school without any issues. He announced his commitment to Wichita State for his final year of eligibility on Twitter:
Gilbert is an experienced guard at the high-major level and should instantly find a major role in Wichita State’s rotation after the defections of this offseason. Considering there are still plenty of holes for the Shockers to fill, it is hard to say who will be sharing the court alongside Gilbert but the veteran floor general will see his fair share of playing time.
Barring any more changes, though, Gilbert will likely be the starting lead guard next season for the Shockers alongside Tyson Etienne and Dexter Dennis in the backcourt. While the many departing transfers have depleted this roster significantly, that trio is still a fairly dangerous group that Coach Marshall could build around if he is able to secure more pieces from the transfer market.
Over his last two seasons in Storrs, Gilbert put together solid campaigns while mostly avoiding the injury bug that plagued him early in his career. He played in 55 contests (43 starts) during the two campaigns and posted averages of 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. Although he was not the most efficient scoring threat with shooting splits of just .365/.328/.723, he is capable of creating for himself as well as others.
Gilbert was a relatively highly sought-after graduate transfer as many high-major programs reached out to potentially add his services. Considering the high number of roles that need to be filled at Wichita State this offseason, securing a proven point guard that can score and distribute is a good place to start for Coach Marshall.
This appears to be a win-win for both Wichita State and Gilbert. The Shockers desperately needed an experienced point guard for the following season and Gilbert needed a place where he could play big minutes against quality opposition. Both were able to find their match and it will be interesting to see how the former McDonald’s All-American performs in his final collegiate season.
Wichita State still has several scholarships to fill this offseason, so it is not yet time to call 2020-21 a lost season. Coach Marshall can still put together a quality roster, even if many of the pieces will be incoming transfers.