Hot Prospect: Taj Gibson

Posted by admin on June 15, 2009

USC ● Junior ● Forward ● 6-9 ● 225 ● 6/24/85
14.3 ppg ● 9.0 rpg ● 2.9 bpg (08-09 averages)

Highlights: Is USC’s all-time career shot block record holder with 253 and ranks third all-time among
conference players… He was named 2009 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Conference second team… He became the 33rd Trojans to reach the 1,000 career points scored plateau and currently stands 16th on the USC scoring list… He has 31 career double-doubles… He has 896 career rebounds which rank second all-time by a Trojan.

2008-09 (Junior): Named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year as he broke his school record and led the conference with 100 blocks and was third in rebounding with 316 for a 9.0 average per game… Also, was second among Trojans in scoring with a 14.3 average per game and was selected to the Pac-10 All-Conference second team… He was named to the Pac-10 All-Tournament team as he posted two double-doubles in USC’s title run, while averaging 13.7 points and 10.7 rebounds… In USC’s NCAA Tournament first-round win vs. Boston College, Gibson set the school record for field goal percentage in a game by making all 10 shots he took and fi nished with 24 points… He scored a career-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds in the win vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 15… He tied a career high and had a season best 18 rebounds twice, first vs. Seton Hall on Nov. 20 and then again vs. North Dakota State on Dec. 20. He scored in double figures in 30 of 35 games and had eight or more rebounds in 22
of 35 games. He made 60.1 percent of his shots, second in the Pac-10 and second all-time by a Trojan
in a single season.

2007-08 (Sophomore): He was a third-team All-Pac-10 selection and first-team member of the Pac-10 All-Defensive team… Averaged 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 33 games (32 starts)… Led USC in rebounds (259), blocks (83) and field goal percentage (.580)… He led the Pac-10 in blocks and was third in field goal percentage (tops in Pac-10 games only at .667)… His 83 blocks set the USC single-season record and his .580 field goal percentage is second all-time for a season at USC… He had five double-doubles this season: Nov. 10 vs. Mercer (13 points/14 rebounds), Nov. 22 vs. San Diego (20 points/12 rebounds), Jan. 24 at Oregon State (14 points/14 rebounds), Feb. 17 vs. UCLA (16 points/12 rebounds) and March 8 vs. Stanford (20 points/11 rebounds)… Scored a season-high 21 points in USC’s 93-89 overtime win vs. California on March 6… Had a season best of 14 rebounds twice, Nov. 10 vs. Mercer and Jan. 24 at Oregon State… Had a season-best six blocks on Nov. 15 at The Citadel and had two games of five blocks and eight games of four blocks… Was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for March 3-9 when he averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in a home sweep of California and No. 7 Stanford… Just missed a double-double in USC’s Pac-10 quarterfinal game vs. ASU on March 13 with 11 points and nine rebounds… Was held to five points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 57-54 Pac-10 semifinals loss to UCLA on March 14… Again just missed a double-double in the NCAA first-round game against Kansas State on March 20, with 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.

2006-07 (Freshman): Named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and honorable mention All-Freshman by Collegehoops.net… Led USC in the season opener vs. South Carolina with 16 points and 14 rebounds, the most rebounds by a USC freshman since Sam Clancy als had 14 in 1999… Scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds vs. Long Beach State on Nov. 24, the most rebounds by a Trojan in a game since Jan. 20, 2000 when David Bluthenthal tied Cliff Robinson’s school and freshman record of 28 rebounds… Gibson scored in double figures in his first five collegiate games, the most consecutive to start a Trojan career since Tom Lewis did it the first nine games in the 1985-86 season… Had 15 points and nine rebounds on Dec. 4 at Kansas and followed that up with 16 points and 17 rebounds vs. George Washington at the Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif. on Dec. 9. Scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a double-overtime win vs. Washington on Dec. 28 in his first Pac-10 game… Scored 18 points, had 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots on Jan. 4 at Oregon. His block total in that game tied for the fourth most in USC history… Earned Player of the Week honors (Jan. 1-7) by ESPN.com and TheSportingNews.com as he helped lead USC to a sweep of previously undefeated Oregon and to a rout of Oregon State on the road… Scored 38 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked eight shots on the trip… Set the USC freshman rebound record with 321 and the freshman blocks record with 69… Also ranks among the USC freshman top five in free throws attempted (1st), free throws made (3rd), points (4th), field goal percentage (T-4th) and rebound average (2nd)… He had 11 double-doubles, one of five freshman in the country with that many, joining among others Greg Oden and Kevin Durant who were the top two picks in the 2007 NBA Draft… Had at least eight rebounds in 27 of 37 games, scored in double figures in 27 of 37 games and scored at least eight points in 34 of 37 games… Selected to the Pac-10 Conference All-Tournament team, as he scored 36 points and had 29 rebounds in the three games… Had 51 points and 34 rebounds in the three NCAA games, with double-doubles vs. Texas (17 pts/14 rebs) and North Carolina (16 pts/12 rebs).

Is he Jazz material?

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