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

What does Gilyard want to accomplish in his final year?

Even though he already has four healthy seasons under his belt, he along with classmates Nathan Cayo and Grant Golden all decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility awarded to athletes due to the pandemic.

The decision to use the extra year wasn’t an easy one for Gilyard who wavered back and forth before deciding to come back, he said, “Towards the beginning of the year I was like I’ve been here for a while, I’m kind of ready to get out. But, towards the middle of the season, I thought what if I did come back?” When the year was over, he sat down with his parents looking for advice, “I was looking for guidance, but to no avail, they really didn’t give me a direct answer.” He said laughing.

Personal goals aren’t a big deal for the confident guard, he has the steals record in sight but is looking towards team success in his final year with the Spiders. This season he says, “I want to win a lot of basketball games. To go to the tournament, it would be a huge thing for the guys I came to school with like Grant (Golden), Nick (Sherod), and Nate (Cayo).”

His basketball career may or may not be nearing its end, but his journey to Richmond is, it has been a journey that began on the sidelines as a young kid, and one he hopes will end under the bright lights of a postseason appearance.

Interview with Richmond Basketball guard Jacob Gilyard