Four-star 2023 guard
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has committed to the Illini, as first reported by
Joe Tipton of On3.com.
"They believe in me more than anyone else and they showed that," Gibbs-Lawhorn told Tipton.
Gibbs-Lawhorn was in Champaign last week for an official visit. Illini Inquirer caught up with Gibbs-Lawhorn’s father, Ben Gibbs, to discuss the visit and what stood out about Illinois.
“It was really awesome. It totally blew us out of the water a little bit. We knew it was going to be awesome, but man, it was really awesome,” Gibbs said. “The most important thing that stood out to us was they had a plan for every aspect of Drayvn’s life while being there on campus. That made us very happy. Not just a plan for him basketball wise in terms of trying to get him to the next level after college, but also academically.
“I absolutely love Coach Underwood and his whole staff. I really love Adam Fletcher. His presentation was amazing. They broke down Drayvn’s game and how it fits Illinois’ style of play. Every aspect — from the social life to where they stay. We’re from a small town, so we like the small-town vibe. It just felt like family from everybody we met from the beginning to the end.”
Illinois jumped into the mix immediately after the Lafayette, Ind. native reopened his recruitment in August, while decommitting from Purdue. Illini assistant
Tim Anderson was the point man and he continues to be on an unbelievable tear on the trail.
He built a really strong relationship in this recruitment and it paid dividends. “I feel like
Tim Anderson is related to me,” Gibbs said with a chuckle. “I love Tim. Tim is amazing. Illinois is truly, truly blessed to have somebody like Tim. What I love about him is he’s a straight shooter and that’s the type of people I like to deal with. He said: ‘This is what we’re going to do for him at Illinois. When he steps on campus, this is what it’s going to be like.’ I like the way he speaks as if he’s coming there versus ‘hey, if he comes here’. Tim is speaking things into existence and I like people like that because that’s how I am.”
His father spoke on why he thinks Illinois is the place that can get the most out of him.
“They see him as a vital piece to the future of Illinois basketball. They’re going to be able to use him as a point guard and a combo guard. I think in tough situations, like at the end of the shot clock, he’s a guy they’re going to depend on to make plays. They understand what type of guard he is,” Gibbs said. “The plan they have for him is exactly what we want. Uptempo. Coach Underwood is going to open up the floor and let you do what you need to do. He’s not trying to deter him from what he does best. It really boils down to going somewhere that fits your game. I think playing right away is important. They didn’t say: ‘Oh, he’ll play right away.’ But they know what type of competitor he is, so they know he’s going to play right away — not because they say it but because he’ll earn it. They want him to come on campus and be ready to go next year.
“I think it’s a really, really good situation for Drayvn.”