BYU Basketball Player Preview: Gideon George

Gideon George

Height: 6-6

Weight: 210

Hometown: Minna, Nigeria

Last School: New Mexico Junior College

Class: Senior

Gideon George Player Preview

Gideon came to BYU last season as a raw, athletic wing from the JUCO ranks that is still relatively new to the game of basketball. We saw flashes of Gideon’s raw ability last year — 13 points versus St John’s, a season high 19 points versus Portland, and a second half where he completely shut down St Mary’s point guard Tommy Kuhse. For the season, George averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds on 41% shooting.

Gideon showed flashes last year, and this season I expect him to make a big jump and be BYU’s most improved player. Multiple people close to Gideon have told me that he has taken the biggest jump for any BYU player. He has the measurables at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and 40 inch vertical, and now he’s putting things together as a more polished, in-control basketball player.

Gideon has NBA potential. He participated in Nigeria’s Olympic training camp this summer and received high praise from NBA coach Mike Brown, who called him a prototypical NBA wing.

I expect Gideon to be a main part of BYU’s offense and the best defender on the team. He has the length and athleticism to guard multiple positions. Offensively, he will need to become more consistent as a shooter and be more in control and make better decisions when he has the ball. After a year and full offseason in BYU’s program, I expect him to shore up many of those things.

2021-2022 Expectations: Starter, Foundational piece

As I said before, don’t be surprised to see Gideon make a huge leap. He has all the tools to be a dynamic basketball player and has put in the work while at BYU. Gideon is one of the best human beings out there, and I fully expect his play on the court to be All-Conference caliber.

And if you’re reading this before Friday’s SDSU game, bring a pair of shoes to the game!