CHICAGO – Alterique Gilbert knows wherever he goes, he can find a place where he belongs. It’s the basketball court.
“Any time I step on the court, I feel like I’m at home. I’m in my sanctuary,” the UConn-bound basketball star for Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.), says. Pointing to the court, he adds, “That’s my living room. My library.”
It’s a home that has served him well.
Gilbert, an American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason selection, dropped 32 points in then-No. 18 Miller Grove’s overtime loss against then-No. 13 Chaminade (St. Louis) during Saturday’s Chicago Elite Classic. He dazzled the crowd with a high-flying dunk and ball-handling skills. A picture of him leaping to block a shot has been making the rounds on Twitter.
Gilbert, ranked No. 28 overall by the ESPN100 and the No. 5 point guard, says he found the same level of comfort he finds on the court in Storrs.
“I felt comfortable. I felt at home. I had a great relationship with Coach [Kevin Ollie],” he says. “When I took an official visit, I had a great time. I learned a lot of things both on and off the court.”
Gilbert, who is listed at 6-11 but is more like 5-11 and 170 pounds, is coming off a strong summer for Team CP3 in the Nike EYBL. He averaged 18.2 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds during the season-ending Peach Jam and impressed as one of the top point guards at the event, which came just a week after his commitment to UConn.
“I have to be patient as a point guard,” he said in July. “I control the game, and the pace of the game. I control who goes where, who does what. That’s something I’m definitely still working on.”
Learning on and off the court will be an important part of his development at UConn.
“You always want to grow as a player, but more importantly as a person,” Gilbert says. “I think going to the University of Connecticut is going to help me get there.”
Gilbert has the skills to succeed in basketball, but playing basketball professional isn’t his only career goal. He wants to be a dentist.
“When I was young, I would go to the dentist a lot,” he says. “I got used to it. I’m definitely going to get it done.”
But he still has plenty to accomplish before he graduates. He wants to get another state title, especially after Miller Grove’s streak of six consecutive state titles was snapped last year. He also has the season-ending DICK’s High School Nationals in New York in his sights for his team and wants to be selected for the high school All-America games.
The opportunities to impress will continue. After a league game against Martin Luther King (Lithonia, Ga.) on Tuesday, Miller Grove heads to the Tax Free Shootout in Utah, where it will face Fremont (Calif.) on Thursday and Timpview (Provo, Utah) on Friday.
“I’ve got a lot of goals I want to achieve,” he says. “It’s up to me to stay motivated and get them done.”