Written by: Jason Groves/Sun-News Reporter
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The hard work has paid dividends for Jonathan Gibson.
The New Mexico State University sophomore guard is 15th in the Western Athletic Conference in scoring (12.9 points per game), sixth in 3-point shooting percentage (44) and fifth in 3-pointers made, knocking down 2.33 per game.
"He is getting more minutes than he did last year and he has earned those by having one heck of an offseason in terms of developing his game," Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. "He still has a long way to go before he is able to conceptualize all of the things that he needs to do to be a complete player but he can put the ball in the basket right now."
Menzies is not the only coach who knows what Gibson is capable of.
"I've noticed that (opposing teams) shade to my side now if they are playing zone or playing man," Gibson said. "They try to pressure up on me now. I expect teams to watch film and try to make changes to try to contain me or stop me but I have to keep adding to my game."
Gibson is one of a handful of Aggie players that will have the ball in his hands with the shot clock winding down because his quickness allows him to create his own shot. He also knocks down the open shot consistently.
Against Utah State, Gibson drained a step-back 3-pointer after crossing over preseason WAC Player of the Year, guard Jaycee Carroll. That kind of move is one reason he has started 25 of the Aggies' 27 games, logging 26.5 minutes per game, up from 7.3 minutes last year.
"I really like him as a kid because he has a lot of flavor to him," Menzies said. "He is one of the few kids that can break me down and make me laugh a little from time to time because he says some quirky things. Because he has some personality, he is fun to coach and I'm optimistic he is going to end up having a great career here."
Gibson has re-written his own record book this season as well and he hit his first career game-winner on Feb. 2 at San Jose State.
He scored a then career-high 22 points at Utah State and followed with another 22-point effort in the Aggies' 100-70 victory at home against the UtAgs on Jan. 26. His latest career high came on Feb. 9 against Boise State, scoring 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting and a 4-for-9 performance from behind the arc.
Gibson's ability to score the basketball has never been an issue, but Menzies has questioned his effort on the defensive end. All players have weaknesses, but Gibson's scoring ability has brought him more notoriety than other players.
"He has been scoring so people would bring his name up and I would also mention things that he needed to work on," Menzies said. "Defensively, he has come a long way."
Gibson played for four California High Schools including Stoneridge Prep before graduating from Calvary Christian Prep.
Among those schools interested, Gibson said were Washington State, Iowa, Southern California, Creighton, New Mexico and San Diego State. Reggie Theus brought Gibson to Las Cruces.
"I came here because I liked Reggie Theus and I knew his background," Gibson said. "He played in the NBA where I'm trying to go. Me and my family thought it was best for me to come here."
Once in Las Cruces, Gibson said he looked to veteran players, particularily fellow California native Justin Hawkins.
"I basically learned what it takes to go to the tournament and all of the hard work on and off the court that it takes, just watching guys and learning from them," Gibson said. "He (Hawkins) has a good work ethic. He is always in the gym working out and he always tries to stay positive."
Gibson and the Aggies play host to Long Beach State on Saturday before resuming their run to repeat as WAC champions next week.
"We have to do that," said Gibson of winning the WAC Tournament in Las Cruces. "We are going to be at home where we are comfortable and have the fan support. That's an automatic bid so we have to take care of that at the house."
Jason Groves can be reached at jgroves@lcsun-news.com
