‘Dreams and aspirations’: Why Keshon Gilbert quickly rose to stardom
AMES — Before playing a single second for Iowa State, head coach T.J. Otzelberger was sure Keshon Gilbert would quickly become a staple in Iowa State’s most anticipated season to date. Fast forward to 2024, and Gilbert has made sure that every person in the nation knows how good he can be.
From his lights-out performance to bring home the Cy-Hawk trophy or the daggers he hit to upset Kansas at Hilton Coliseum to raining down threes in a near-upset win over Baylor on the road, Gilbert has become a household name for Iowa State fans.
Although Gilbert’s rise to fame might have surprised some, Otzelberger was one of the people who believed in him from the start. Whether it was his bubbly personality or his drive to achieve his goals, Gilbert had the makings of an elite basketball player since the start.
Otzelberger’s belief in Gilbert started from the first phone call and grew even more when Gilbert talked about his goals.
Throughout his basketball career, Gilbert’s main motivator has been his lofty goals. He wants to make it to the next level and would do anything to get there.
Gilbert and Otzelberger had conversations frequently during their time at UNLV. In those conversations, Gilbert laid out his goals and how hard he was going to work to achieve those goals.
“That was something that stayed with me,” Otzelberger said.
Gilbert’s goals are what drives him. They are what push him to fight for buckets and put his body on the line to help his team win.
Playing as hard as Gilbert for 40 minutes is not easy to do. Motivation from his dreams and goals helps Gilbert put everything out on the court every night.
Gilbert wants to play in the NBA and said that he just loves the game of basketball, so making money alongside that is a win-win situation.
With how important family is to Gilbert, if he can provide for his family and play basketball, that is what he will do. With how much his mother has helped him throughout his life, Gilbert knows she deserves to see his hard work pay off.
“I feel like I owe her that,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert’s basketball journey started like most kids. Around second grade, he picked up a basketball at the local YMCA and never looked back.
In high school, he started to work on his craft more and more. His older brother was a walk-on at UNLV, and his family consistently pushed him to improve.
Growing up shorter and smaller than his brothers, he always had to work hard to compete with them. They would always beat him up when they played because of their height.
“So when I got tall, it was like, ‘Yeah. I’m here now,’” Gilbert said.
Gilbert’s “why” is his family. Gilbert fondly remembers the times playing with his brothers and how supportive everyone was of his dreams.
His parents are the ones that keep him level-headed, and his brothers pushed him to improve his basketball skills. Making it to the NBA would help pay off the support his family gave him all his life.
“Nobody really made it out of my family. Everybody livin’ regular,” Gilbert said. “I wanna be able to tell my family I made it.”
Gilbert does not need extra motivation when he has his goals in mind. He knows where he wants to get and does not plan on settling for anything less.
From the second Gilbert got to Iowa State, it was clear to him that he made the right choice. Stepping out on the Hilton court for the first time was surreal.
“It felt like magic. I ain’t gonna lie,” Gilbert said.
Although Gilbert has had impactful nights on the regular, especially during Big 12 play, the magic was felt the most before the annual Cy-Hawk game.
Two hours before the game, the student section was already filled. When Gilbert walked out to warm up, he saw the crowd and heard the cheers, and he thought to himself, “This is it. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
The Cy-Hawk game was one of Gilbert’s best games of the season. His 25 points and consistent daggers propelled Iowa State to a comfortable win.
His most notable moment in that game was when he turned into a one-man show. In a matter of seconds, he knocked down a tough layup, saw Tamin Lipsey steal the inbound and set himself up to hit a deep three to get Hilton on its feet.
Gilbert bounced down the court, taunting the Hawkeyes into calling a timeout. They did.
His energy flowed into the crowd and made the night special for him. As Gilbert sat in the post-game press conference, he was at a loss for words. All he could say was:
“I’m so happy right now, I ain’t gonna fake it,” Gilbert said.
I can’t lie im having fun! ❤️
— Ke 🖤… (@kg2times) February 10, 2024
Although Gilbert was too excited to cobble together answers, he had teammates to speak for him. Robert Jones said that the consistent effort of Gilbert was what pushed the Cyclones over the Hawkeyes.
“That’s when you know you gotta step on the other team’s throats—bring that same high level of basketball play,” Jones said.
As Jones rattled off an answer for Gilbert, Gilbert joked to Tre King about Jones’ well-crafted answers. Jones could easily come up with the words that Gilbert couldn’t.
The three chuckled about Gilbert’s amazement before moving on to the next question. That one would draw the biggest laugh of the three.
When asked how it felt to take down Iowa State’s biggest rival in his final year with the team, Jones said, “It’s delightful.”
As Jones uttered those words, Gilbert could not contain his laughter. After chuckling for a few seconds, he leaned behind Jones to get King’s attention.
“He said delightful,” Gilbert joked to King while the three laughed about it.
Gilbert smiled at Jones after the press conference and said, “I don’t know how you do that.”
Although Gilbert could not put his feelings into words at the time, he didn’t have to. One thing was for sure: Gilbert was having fun.
Appreciate you cyclone nation! ❤️💛
— Ke 🖤… (@kg2times) January 27, 2024
He finally found a home, and he found another family to push him to achieve his goals.
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Barbara Arthur | Mar 4, 2024 at 8:06 pm
Love this