Jacob Gilyard’s story to becoming a star at Richmond Basketball

As sports fans, we often forget that the athletes that we watch on tv or in person are people too. When we watch them, we sometimes lose sight that what we are watching is just a small snippet of their lives and this time in their lives is just part of their basketball journey. There are thousands of players that play Division I basketball each season all of them have a different story when it comes to basketball and how it has led them to where they are today.

Throughout the offseason, I hope to bring you a Summer Spotlight Series that will give fans some insights into the journey of some of these players, from their childhood to their preparations for the next season. My hope is to provide a cross-section of the sport, from classes to level of competition to players that have faced adversity through injury, transferring, or a coaching change.

These profiles will give the reader a unique perspective from the players about things like how they got started, what drives them, and their feelings on their basketball life so far. In doing these, it’s my hope that the next time we see some of these guys on TV, we see them for more than just points, rebounds, and assists.

In the next installment of the series, I was able to talk to Richmond guard Jacob Gilyard who has decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility afforded to athletes after the pandemic. One more run at the Atlantic 10 with his Spider teammates could be a memorable one, here is his story.