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After an amazing junior season at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), former Illinois guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has committed today to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 20.7 points per game last season for a Runnin' Rebels team that finished 18-17 under first-year Head Coach Josh Pastner, the former head man at Memphis and Georgia Tech. Gibbs-Lawhorn started all 35 games for UNLV, leading the team in scoring and minutes played, an impressive 34.1 minutes that he certainly would not have gotten at Illinois this past season.
At Illinois, Gibbs-Lawhorn was a spark plug off the Illini bench during two seasons. As a freshman on a 2023-24 Illini team that made the Elite Eight, Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 2.4 points in 7.1 minutes per game. As a sophomore, Gibbs-Lawhorn saw his minutes double to 14.9 per game, with his scoring improving to 5.7 points per game. Unfortunately for Gibbs-Lawhorn, he always seemed to be a fourth option in the backcourt with Kasparas Jakucionis, Kylan Boswell and Will Riley ahead of him.
While showing potential during his first two seasons in Champaign, the 6'1'' Gibbs-Lawhorn made the wise decision to transfer last offseason as he seemed to no longer fit within a program that was emphasizing positional size at all five spots on the floor. Gibbs-Lawhorn originally committed to Purdue while in high school before reopening his recruitment and choosing the Illini.
If Gibbs-Lawhorn would have stayed at Illinois this past season, he would have struggled to get the amount of minutes he had as a sophomore, especially with the emergence of Keaton Wagler. Essentially, Gibbs-Lawhorn would have been in the position of a Brandon Lee and Mihailo Petrovic, who never would have come to Champaign if Dra had stayed. As an aside, Illinois has lost and added so many players via the portal in recent seasons that I honestly thought Dra had been gone for two seasons already.
Gibbs-Lawhorn clearly bet on himself last offseason, and the move paid off not only with his production but the ability to move up to Texas Tech, whom the Illini will play in Lubbock this upcoming season. Always someone who plays with an edge and chip on his shoulder, Gibbs-Lawhorn will surely be looking to ball out against his former school.
Personally, I always enjoyed Gibbs-Lawhorn's activity, motor and confidence on both ends of the court. I'll never forget Dra rallying Illinois to a home victory against Ohio State during the 2024-25 season. Like Ty Rodgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn was a player who was fun to root for, though it was clear he was probably best suited for another program as his time at Illinois progressed.
Gibbs-Lawhorn certainly showed that last season. While the Runnin' Rebels did not have the team success of an Illinois program that reached a Final Four, Gibbs-Lawhorn was able to showcase his individual talents and now join a program that will be much more successful next season.
At Texas Tech, Gibbs-Lawhorn will be playing for one of the best coaches in all of college basketball, Grant McCasland. As another aside, why North Carolina did not hire someone like McCasland or Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, guys who win immediately at their schools, is something I just don't understand.
Whether starting or coming off the bench for the Red Raiders, Gibbs-Lawhorn will be a significant contributor on an NCAA Tournament team for the first time in his career. Best wishes to Gibbs-Lawhorn, except when the Red Raiders and Illini renew their home-and-home series, with a late November or early December date yet to be determined.
Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 20.7 points per game last season for a Runnin' Rebels team that finished 18-17 under first-year Head Coach Josh Pastner, the former head man at Memphis and Georgia Tech. Gibbs-Lawhorn started all 35 games for UNLV, leading the team in scoring and minutes played, an impressive 34.1 minutes that he certainly would not have gotten at Illinois this past season.
At Illinois, Gibbs-Lawhorn was a spark plug off the Illini bench during two seasons. As a freshman on a 2023-24 Illini team that made the Elite Eight, Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 2.4 points in 7.1 minutes per game. As a sophomore, Gibbs-Lawhorn saw his minutes double to 14.9 per game, with his scoring improving to 5.7 points per game. Unfortunately for Gibbs-Lawhorn, he always seemed to be a fourth option in the backcourt with Kasparas Jakucionis, Kylan Boswell and Will Riley ahead of him.
While showing potential during his first two seasons in Champaign, the 6'1'' Gibbs-Lawhorn made the wise decision to transfer last offseason as he seemed to no longer fit within a program that was emphasizing positional size at all five spots on the floor. Gibbs-Lawhorn originally committed to Purdue while in high school before reopening his recruitment and choosing the Illini.
If Gibbs-Lawhorn would have stayed at Illinois this past season, he would have struggled to get the amount of minutes he had as a sophomore, especially with the emergence of Keaton Wagler. Essentially, Gibbs-Lawhorn would have been in the position of a Brandon Lee and Mihailo Petrovic, who never would have come to Champaign if Dra had stayed. As an aside, Illinois has lost and added so many players via the portal in recent seasons that I honestly thought Dra had been gone for two seasons already.
Gibbs-Lawhorn clearly bet on himself last offseason, and the move paid off not only with his production but the ability to move up to Texas Tech, whom the Illini will play in Lubbock this upcoming season. Always someone who plays with an edge and chip on his shoulder, Gibbs-Lawhorn will surely be looking to ball out against his former school.
Personally, I always enjoyed Gibbs-Lawhorn's activity, motor and confidence on both ends of the court. I'll never forget Dra rallying Illinois to a home victory against Ohio State during the 2024-25 season. Like Ty Rodgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn was a player who was fun to root for, though it was clear he was probably best suited for another program as his time at Illinois progressed.
Gibbs-Lawhorn certainly showed that last season. While the Runnin' Rebels did not have the team success of an Illinois program that reached a Final Four, Gibbs-Lawhorn was able to showcase his individual talents and now join a program that will be much more successful next season.
At Texas Tech, Gibbs-Lawhorn will be playing for one of the best coaches in all of college basketball, Grant McCasland. As another aside, why North Carolina did not hire someone like McCasland or Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, guys who win immediately at their schools, is something I just don't understand.
Whether starting or coming off the bench for the Red Raiders, Gibbs-Lawhorn will be a significant contributor on an NCAA Tournament team for the first time in his career. Best wishes to Gibbs-Lawhorn, except when the Red Raiders and Illini renew their home-and-home series, with a late November or early December date yet to be determined.
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