In early 2011, Sterling Gibbs had made one of the most difficult decisions of his life, choosing to spend four years at Maryland, where he would play point guard for legendary coach Gary Williams.
Less than two weeks later, Gibbs was getting ready to go home after a workout at a gym, when a scrolling sports ticker on TV alerted him that his future had been instantly altered:
“Sources say that Gary Williams is retiring.”
“The funny thing was I had no idea at all,” said Gibbs, now a redshirt sophomore starting at Seton Hall. “I looked over to my trainer and I said, ‘This can’t be true,’ because I figured I would get a call or a text.”
That call came moments later, informing him that Williams was ending his 33-year coaching career.
Gibbs reopened his recruitment, restarting a process that had been transformed from exciting to stressful. Then, after settling on spending those four years at Texas, the Scotch Plains, N.J., native needed less than one season to realize 1,700-plus miles was too far from home.
Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard and associate coach Shaheen Holloway had gotten in on Gibbs’ recruitment late, having just recently been hired, and were unable to land the prospect during either window, but a trust developed between the coaches and the guard.
“When he eventually chose Texas, what I just told him was I wish him the best of luck, I hope he doesn’t come back, but if he does, we’d love to have him,” Willard said.
Gibbs always remembered.
So when he decided he needed to see his parents faces in the stands, wanted to be in the crowd for the games of his little brother — Temple Jr., a sophomore at Seton Hall Prep — the local school roughly 12 miles from where he grew up seemed more appealing than ever.
“I’m a big family guy and it was honestly really tough to go to every game and not see your family in the stands rooting you on, or seeing everyone else with their family and know that you can’t come home,” Gibbs said. “I’d really remembered the relationship I’d gained with coach Willard, and coach Shaheen. We were really close. I trusted these guys.”
Playing alongside teammates — Fuquan Edwin and Brian Oliver — he has known since the 10th grade, Gibbs leads the Pirates in scoring (14.7) and assists (4.5) in his first season, while ranking in the top 20 in the nation in free-throw attempts per game.
“What’s really made Sterling have a good year so far — and I think why he’ll have a great career — is he has mental toughness,” Willard said. “He’s able to fight through some bad stuff. He’s a guy that he just wants to win. That kind of gets him going into every game. I just love his toughness.”
That toughness was developed as a child, working out with his father, Temple, and big brother, Ashton. There were no days off. Not Thanksgiving. Not Christmas. There were constant competitive battles in the backyard, as well as a reconstructed garage with all the windows removed because the boys had broken so many growing up.
Gibbs said Ashton’s work ethic is what made him develop his own, and having watched his brother become one of the Big East’s best at Pittsburgh, he wanted to follow his path again, except leave his own footprints.
“It brought motivation because you work so hard to try to accomplish things for yourself, but you’re kind of stuck as being known for your brother’s accomplishments,” Gibbs said. “It’s good that he accomplished so much, and it pushed me to work even harder. Now, I’m in a situation where I can be known as Sterling Gibbs and not Ashton’s little brother. It kind of feels good.”