Men’s Basketball: Gibbs competes in World University Games in China

When Pitt and Notre Dame play each other on Dec. 27, Ashton Gibbs and Tim Abromaitis will stand… When Pitt and Notre Dame play each other on Dec. 27, Ashton Gibbs and Tim Abromaitis will stand on opposite sides of the basketball court. But for two weeks this summer, the two Big East standouts played for the same team.

Gibbs and Abromaitis played for the United States at the Men’s World University Games in Shenzhen, China, where the Americans finished fifth. Shenzhen, a major city located just north of Hong Kong, is several times larger than Pittsburgh.

The trip marked the third time Gibbs has traveled overseas to play basketball.

In 2009, he played for Jamie Dixon’s U19 team in New Zealand. Last summer, Gibbs spent time in Ireland on a trip with the rest of the Pitt basketball team.

“It was definitely a culture shock,” Gibbs said of going to China. “I’ve been to Ireland and New Zealand, but both of those countries speak English. I learned about their culture and it was a good experience on the court and off the court.”

Gibbs said the language barrier made it difficult for him to communicate.

Abromaitis said bonding with his teammates was one of the best aspects of the trip.

“It was pretty cool being around some of the best players in college basketball and playing with them and hanging out with them off the court,” he said. “As a team, I think we bonded really well.”

He added that he got along particularly well with Gibbs.

“It seemed like by the end of the trip the two of us were pretty much doing everything together,” he said.

Gibbs and Abromaitis weren’t the only players on the team from the Big East: Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine also made the United States roster.

For all three players, the journey to China began with a tryout process that took place in Colorado Springs, Colo..

“The tryouts were tough,” Gibbs said. “It was two-a-days and you’re playing against some of the best players in the country each and every day. It was definitely a good experience and I think I got better from it playing against great players.”

Once Gibbs made it through the grueling tryouts and earned a spot on the roster, he had to adjust to a coaching staff led by Purdue head coach Matt Painter.

“Coach Painter’s style was a different one to get used to,” Gibbs said. “But [Coach Painter and Coach Dixon] both expect the same things — everybody has to play hard and play unselfish.”

Rather than Pitt’s half-court defensive system, Painter frequently employed the press. Gibbs said that helped to add another dimension to his game.

“I definitely feel like a more versatile player,” he said. “I’m more in shape too after playing defense full court so I’ll bring it back with me to Pitt.”

Gibbs led the team in several statistical categories, including minutes (21.8) and assists per game (2.3).

He also averaged 11.6 points per game and finished with a 46.6 field goal percentage and a 95.0 free throw percentage.

Despite having some of the best talent in college basketball on their roster and finishing with a tournament-best 7-1 record, the United States’ team didn’t achieve its goal of winning the gold medal.

Lithuania handed the United States its only loss of the tournament, a 76-74 defeat in the quarterfinals, but the loss cost the Americans any chance of a medal.

“I feel like we should’ve won it all,” Gibbs said. “That was a real tough loss.”

Painter said in a statement on the USA Basketball wesbite that he was proud of the team for continuing to play hard after the loss.

“For these guys, their goal was to win the goal medal,” he added. “Then after you stub your toe and lose in the quarters, a lot of people would kind of check out and go through the motions. These guys didn’t. You have to give them credit for coming out here and winning the fight.”