Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Dwayne Gibson is a sophomore guard and power forward on the NSU Men’s Basketball team.
Gibson played basketball all four years in high school. His team at Park Tudor School won two championships in the last three years while he was playing.
In his freshman season at NSU Dwayne averaged 7.4 points per game and 22.7 minutes per game. Dwayne was second in free throws per game with a .825 average and was third in rebounds per game at 3.9. Dwayne was the only underclassman and one of only four players to lead the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in at least one each game.
Gibson went on to explain the impact basketball has had on his life.
What did you learn while playing for NSU during your freshman year?
“The speed of the game is a lot different. The guys are grown men and I had to use different techniques. I also learned what I could bring to the team. A lot of the guys are juniors and seniors and have played for a number of years, and I just learned how I could help out my team.”
What school on the schedule are you looking most forward to this year?
“The University of Indianapolis is the school I am most looking forward to playing against this season because I am from Indianapolis and know a lot of the guys on the team. It will be good to play against them.”
Are there any big rivalry games this year?
“Of course, Barry University. We gave them a good fight last year. They only beat us by five points on their court and then we beat them by 16 on our court. That win gave us a lot of confidence going into the tournament last year. I feel like they are going to have a lot for us this year. They lost a few players so it will be an exciting game to see what they bring.”
What are your personal goals as a player while you play for NSU?
“Winning. It’s in your nature to think about being first team all-conference or second team all-conference, the personal accolades, but everyone remembers when you win and how many games you won. You won’t remember how many points you scored in each game in 10 years, but you always remember getting a ring. My goal is to win as many games and bring a championship to NSU.”
Why did you choose to major in biology?
“I love science. It has always been a passion of mine. I took anatomy in high school and it stuck with me that this was what I wanted to do. My friend’s dad has his own sports medicine practice so he let me watch some surgeries and see a different element of science. I want to be an orthopedic surgeon.”
What are your plans after graduation?
“I think about this a lot. Of course, I would love to continue my athletic career and maybe play overseas in a European country. If not, definitely medical school down here because I love Florida and I love NSU. Ultimately, I’m going to trust God to lead me where he wants me and we’ll see how it works out.”
Your favorite player is LeBron, but who other than LeBron would be your dream teammate?
“Chris Paul, for sure. I like the way that he leads and his competitive spirit. He rivals some of the best. He has the Kobe and Jordan competitive drive, but Chris Paul does it in a way that he gets other guys involved; he is a team player. He doesn’t like when the attention is on him. He could easily score the most points every night, but he gets his teammates involved. Chris Paul is the president of the NBA Players Association and he is the voice of the NBA and that is something that has made him my favorite point guard in the NBA.”
Do you feel like you are a leader on the court?
“Yes, I do. Coach is always telling me to be more vocal on the court. Even when things are hard I have to be more vocal, I have to not just be vocal when things are going well. Freshman year I tried to keep the guys’ spirits up no matter what. I had a big responsibility on the court in high school and I want to get more into that role at NSU. I want to make sure the guys are always trying to do their best.”
What did you do this summer?
“I worked at NSU summer housing. I also took trigonometry. It wasn’t the most fun summer, but for medical school I have to get some classes out of the way. I trained a lot with friends. The one thing that stands out, I did get to go back home to Indianapolis for my birthday. I spent a week at home with my family.”
