The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Gilbert taking a positive approach
Point guard says he learned a lot after most recent injury
STORRS » For some basketball players, undergoing shoulder surgery for the second time in the span of about six months would be difficult to endure.
For Alterique Gilbert, it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise.
“It was difficult, but at the same time, I think it was a positive,” said Gilbert, the UConn point guard. “I had to learn, not only more things about the game, but about myself.”
Indeed, after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder during a November game at Loyola Marymount last season and ultimately undergoing surgery, Gilbert became more introspective. He started reading the Bible for the first time and put a lot more focus on his new major, Urban and Community Studies, among other things.
“I learned about new things I wouldn’t be able to do before, because my focus was usually on basketball,” he said.
Now, he’s a better all-around person. And, he believes, just as good a basketball player as he was when he arrived at UConn last summer, the program’s first McDonald’s AllAmerican in nearly a decade.
“I’m back to 100 percent,” he said on Friday. “I’m just working, participating in on-court workouts and individuals. I’m just taking my time with the whole process.”
UConn head coach Kevin Ollie is excited to have Gilbert back in the fold after missing all but 2½ games last season, though he seems to be a bit more cautious about Gilbert’s rehab and said he won’t be going full-contact, 5-on-5 until later this month. “He’s a tremendous leader,” said
said Ollie. “He has a great work ethic, and just seeing him out there, I think it really helps our team and our psyche, just to see that leadership out there. He’s a pit bull on the basketball court. He loves what he does, and you can see it in everything he does — every behavior he does, he’s kinda like a quiet leader.”
After earning Mr. Georgia Basketball honors and being named Georgia’s Gatorade State Player of the Year, Gilbert showed flashes in his first couple of games as a Husky. But less than a minute before halftime of UConn’s third game of the season at Loyola Marymount, Gilbert turned the ball over and fell to the floor, writhing in pain. He was helped off the floor by trainer James Doran and strength and conditioning coach Travis Ilian, and it was soon apparent his freshman season was over practically before it began.
Gilbert had dislocated the same shoulder twice previously, most recently at the Jordan Brand Classic in April, 2016, after which he underwent surgery and spent much of last summer rehabbing. Despite seemingly being preconditioned to the shoulder injury, Gilbert isn’t worried about it happening again.
“I feel like I got a lot stronger, the muscles around my shoulder are strong and stable,” he said. “It’ll allow me to play.”
He added that there won’t be any hesitation when he’s on the floor.
“That’s just stepping into my sanctuary,” Gilbert said. “I just play, honestly, and have fun with it.”
Rehab certainly wasn’t fun. It was a slow process, Gilbert learned early, which frustrated him at times. But he used his time to delve into other areas, and reading the Bible seriously for the first time helped a lot.
“I think a lot of people in my generation don’t know too much about it, maybe because it’s not a highlighted thing in today’s society,” said Gilbert. “It helps me start my day. It’s a positive. And that’s what I’m about — positive, rebuilding.”
And Gilbert is positive that his team, off a 15-17 disappointment marred by season-ending injuries not only to him but talented swingman Terry Larrier and forward Mamadou Diarra, is ready to make amends.
“We’re capable of a lot, honestly,” he said. “The biggest thing for us is this summer ... is trying to jell everybody together, get a good chemistry going and creating something in the summer.”