MANHATTAN, Kan. | One look at Thomas Gipson is all it takes to realize he’s a unique basketball player.
From his 6-foot-7, 275-pound body to his age and eye-popping numbers — he leads K-State in scoring with 14 points a game and rebounding with 8.1 boards a contest — the 18-year-old freshman forward is unlike anyone coach Frank Martin has recruited in his time at K-State.The last freshman to match that kind of production was current NBA forward Michael Beasley. The last freshman able to equal him in the weight room was former center Luis Colon. But Gipson isn’t comparable to either.Gipson muscles his way to the rim with his back to the basket and tries to score the way big men used to 25 years ago. “I don’t think there are a lot of real posts that will do things like that,” Gipson said. “Most everybody tries to be a guard now and wants to face up and dribble and shoot. I think I’m unique in that way.”So unique that Martin began heavily recruiting Gipson moments after watching him play for the first time. Old-school post players are hard to come by these days. When Martin saw one with a full, thick beard powering through high school defenders in Cedar Hill, Texas, he saw a player who could help K-State right away. So far, Gipson has helped K-State start 6-1. Outside of a rough first game against Charleston Southern, in which he scored two points and had no rebounds, he has been the Wildcats’ best player. Opposing coaches have called him a significant matchup problem. The Big 12 honored him as freshman of the week after double-doubles in games against West Virginia and North Florida.“He is letting us know that we have a presence down low,” senior forward Rodney McGruder said.Gipson credits his coaches and his devotion to his throwback playing style for his success.“My first real game was nerve-wracking a little bit,” Gipson said. “From then on, I talked to a lot of people. A lot of people were disappointed in me. They just said my main focus is to rebound. If I rebound more, I don’t really need to get the ball as much in the post. If I rebound, I’m right there and I might as well put it back up. Since then my main focus is rebounding. I don’t care about points.”Teammates appreciate that attitude, and have become so confident in him that they are passing him the ball late in close games.Martin still has a list of things he wants Gipson to improve on: Grabbing more defensive rebounds, using his size to his advantage on defense and mastering K-State’s system. Once he figures all that out, there’s no telling how far his unique game could take him.“I hope in four years we can talk about him the way we talked about Jacob (Pullen),” Martin said, “that he can put his thumbprint on this program.”
K-STATE VS. ALABAMA
WHEN/WHERE: 9 tonight at the Sprint CenterTV: ESPNUProbable lineups | B4
WHEN/WHERE: 9 tonight at the Sprint CenterTV: ESPNUProbable lineups | B4
