Anton Gill and the Benefits of the Transfer Market

Does anyone remember the last time Nebraska basketball had so many highly regarded recruits waiting in the wings to play for the Big Red?

If there was a time, I surely don’t remember it. Yes, some of these guys didn’t sign with Nebraska straight out of high school but that’s okay. With the transfer market in college basketball at an all-time high we might as well take advantage of it while we can.

Yes, transferring can be a problematic and straight up messy situation for many players and teams. Take a look at almost any team in the country. You will see multiple players who have transferred out and in on a yearly basis. it affects everyone from the smallest of schools to the big boys who make the tournament every year.

Multiple factors come into play that can lead to these situation. Academic, disciplinary, and playing time are usually sited for reasons to leave a school for another. Many times promises are made and not always kept. It can be hard to see what really goes into everyone’s thinking when they go through this.

Transferring can be a good thing though. Not every situation ends up like Andrew White III. Many times a transfer can lead to a promising career at their new school.

This gets us to Nebraska’s newest transfer, 6’3” guard Anton Gill from North Carolina.

Anton came out of high school a highly regarded 4 star recruit and a well-known scorer in the AAU circut. Averaging 28.2 ppg at Hargrave Millitary Academy. Yes, that’s huge for any player. He also had high scoring games of 56 and 50 during those years. His stellar scoring during his prep years brought the interests of Wake Forest, North Carolina, Clemson, and NC State before settling on playing with Rick Patino at Louisville.

He played two years at Louisville before transferring from Nebraska. His leaving wasn’t pushed due to disciplinary or academic problems but inconsistency on the court which probably lead to frustrations with playing time. The hot hand he had during his preps career didn’t immediately transition well to the college ranks. His sophomore year he averaged 2.5 ppg and 9.4 minutes a game. His small points wasn’t for a lack of trying as he was shooting 35.3% from the floor. For some reason, he couldn’t find the basket.

Though, it seemed that not everyone at Louisville had a hard time scoring...I digress.

Gill did have some good games during his time as a Cardinal. Scoring a career high of 15 points against Florida International and 14 against Florida State. But as you can see, he just couldn’t find his consistency.

Nebraska, during this time, was looking for another player to fill out the 2015 class. Gill fit the description well and the Huskers beat out the likes of Georgetown and East Carolina for his talents.

Gill also bring NCAA Tournament experience to the team with Louisville making it to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight during his tenure. He is also known for his high basketball IQ which will hopefully help him transition into Coach Miles system in Lincoln.

Due to NCAA transfer policy Gill sat out this last year and will have two years of playing left at Nebraska. Hopefully he has had the time to get to know the Husker program and find his rhythm again. With Shavon Shields finishing up his eligibility and Andrew White III shopping his talents to the highest collegiate bidder Nebraska will need him to step up to score immediately.

Expect to see Gill’s name a lot this upcoming season. If he can find his shot again it could be a very good year for the Big Red.