A day after the Dukes received a commitment from JUCO small forward Dominique McKoy, 6'6'' Richmond swingman LG Gill became the eighth and hopefully final member of the class of 2013. Gill was also considering James Madison, St Bonaventure, Radford, High Point and Mt. St Mary's.
Gill replaces Quevyn Winters and hopefully becomes the swingman of the future. Based on his comprehensive Youtube video, he looks like a versatile and fundamentally sound player. He has a strong three point shot and runs the floor well in transition. His ball skills are strong enough that he could eventually take on defenders and distribute on the go. According to Corey Pegram of Recruiting Hype, Gill sounds like a high character, hard working player that's becoming a staple of Jim Ferry's Duquesne. The following excerpt is from a February 23rd entry:
A 6’6 wing forward, Gill is exactly the type of kid that coaches love to have on their roster. He’s versatile, plays hard, and doesn’t force things. Owning fluid athleticism, Gill affects the game in multiple areas and has put himself in a great position to find a home at a low to mid-level division one program. He’s a guy that can score for you in the half court set with set jumpers and straight line drives, or in transition, as he runs the floor well and fills lanes appropriately. Gill will never blow you away with flashy play, but he will consistently impress you with his business-like approach and all around basketball ability.
It's difficult to determine how high Gill projects at Duquesne, but he sounds like a player with upside who could compete for minutes as soon as next year. Gill is the prototypical under the radar late bloomer who didn't get the chance to start at Benedictine High School until his senior year while playing behind VCU's Jordan Burgess. He wasn't even able to make the varsity team until his junior year. Finally getting the opportunity to play, Gill lead his team to the Virginia Independent Championship as the 4th seed averaging 23.5 points and 7 rebounds in the state quarterfinal and semifinal.
With eight new Dukes joining the fold, I'm really looking forward to the Pittsburgh Pro - Am this summer. I'm also looking forward to having fewer than seven openings again next spring.
