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

Time to get serious about basketball

The Missouri native says he was in the 7th grade when he began taking hoops more seriously as it could be something he could do beyond high school. Once in high school he says colleges began to take notice of him during his sophomore year, “I got my first offer from Long Island-Brooklyn, I think I got three offers that day.

His recruiting process wasn’t just about where to go to get the most playing time or where you could be a star. He says it was a little strange being a young kid and having schools pitch to you why you should go there. He talked about how at that age it is hard because you don’t a lot of things about what you want.

He said, “You really don’t know what you want or have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to be. For me it was a learning experience, I listened to a lot of people I trusted, just try to make a decision that was good for me.” He eventually settled on Richmond, and it was the right choice for him and the Spiders, as Gilyard is set to become college basketball’s all-time steals leader before the season ends.