Gibbs-Lawhorn brings presence to the Illini
Aug. 8—CHAMPAIGN — Illinois ended last Wednesday's practice at Ubben Basketball Complex with structured five-on-five.
It wasn't a full-on open gym-style run, but there was enough up and down action to get at least a glimpse of what the Illini might be in the 2023-24 season.
Ty Rodgers ran the point for one team. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn spearheaded the offense for the other.
Rodgers projects as Illinois' starting point guard this upcoming season after a futile offseason search for a veteran transfer option. Gibbs-Lawhorn could well be his backup, with the freshman guard impressing his coaches and teammates the last two months.
"I don't want to get the cart before the horse, so to speak, with him, but he does not lack confidence," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Gibbs-Lawhorn. "He is as hard a working guy, really, as we've had. He lives in here. He asks questions. He wants to know."
Gibbs-Lawhorn spent the end of last Wednesday's practice showing off just how confident he is with the ball in his hands.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard was aggressive attacking the basket off the bounce, flashed his athleticism by finishing above the rim and looked comfortable pulling up from three-point range.
"That kid, I can't even describe," Illinois sophomore guard Sencire Harris said about his new teammate. "That kid can score the ball at a high level. It's shocking. Coming in as a freshman able to score the ball at a high level is very good. He gets me sometimes — he's a great scorer — but I'm helping him work on his game, and he's helping me work on my game."
Gibbs-Lawhorn showed off his ability as a scorer last season after a mid-year transfer from Montverde Academy (Fla.) to Word of God Academy (N.C.) in the Overtime Elite program.
The Lafayette, Ind., native was buried on a loaded Montverde roster that revolved around a frontcourt featuring five-star bigs/wings Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen, Cooper Flagg, Kwame Evans and Asa Newell.
Moving to Word of God put the ball back in Gibbs-Lawhorn's hands. He was named to the All-OTE First Team alongside eventual NBA lottery picks Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson after averaging 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 10 regular-season games with the Holy Rams. He was efficient, too, with a 49/39/75 shooting slash.
How Gibbs-Lawhorn ultimately fits on a veteran Illinois team this season is still to be determined before the season eventually tips off in November.
But his ability to play the point could be his path to playing time, and the effort he's shown this summer could fast forward the process even further.
"He's got a maturity about him — both he and (fellow freshman Amani Hansberry) — in terms of how much film they're watching," Underwood said. "The questions they ask are the right ones. It's now just living the experience. A very, very good shooter. He's got a great floater. He's very talkative. He's not shy and bashful, and he's not lacking for confidence. That's something that's been evident since day one."
Gibbs-Lawhorn played 11 minutes on Sunday in Illinois' 84-73 win against the Madrid All-Stars, the Illini's first game during their overseas trip to Spain. His Illini debut included five points on 2 of 6 shooting. Simply getting the experience, though, is worth more than the production.
For Gibbs-Lawhorn and Hansberry both.
"It's an opportunity for them to see grown men in all three of these games," Underwood said. "Just to go out and compete and get a feel for what it's like to be a college basketball player, that's huge. The experience piece of that is tremendous. It's bigger for them than anybody else. I'm excited for those guys to get their feet wet and kind of get some of the nervousness and jitters that come with playing a first college basketball game."
