Forward Michael Gilmore commits to VCU

2014 ESPN top-100 forward Michael Gilmore committed to VCU on Thursday.

September 26, 2013; 7:30 PM • by Aaron Williams

At the 2013 Atlantic 10 basketball tournament, Coach Smart was asked about recruiting and he joked,

The way we play, it’s predicated on speed, quickness, and energy. Smaller guys tend to have more of that. As you mentioned, if we could find a 6-10 guy that has speed, quickness, energy, and can shoot threes, we’ll take him. If you’ve seen one, let me know…You need to make a decision when recruiting as to what’s most important to you.

Less than sixth months later, it appears Coach Smart found one. 2014 ESPN top-100 forward Michael Gilmore committed to VCU on Thursday, September 26th. The 6-foot-9, 210 pound power forward has speed, quickness, energy, and he can step out and hit 3-pointers.

BREAKING: ESPN 100 Michael Gilmore has committed to VCU per a source

— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) September 26, 2013

Gilmore’s long arms bring back memories of Larry Sanders defending the rim. His perimeter shot brings back memories of Jamie Skeen, and his ability to play above the rim is reminiscent of Juvonte Reddic. According to Phenom Hoop Report, Smart recruited Gilmore as a stretch four, but after a few years of Coach Roose and the weight room, Gilmore should have the tools to effectively play the five.

His speed and athleticism are a perfect fit for HAVOC!. His length combined with Terry Larrier and Justin Tillman could usher in an entire new level of full-court pressure.

Gilmore had narrowed his list down to VCU, Kansas State, and Georgia Tech after receiving offers from schools like Miami, Oklahoma, South Florida, Providence, Wichita State, and Saint Joseph’s. He officially visited VCU on September 14th alongside Terry Larrier and Jonathon Williams. Despite having an official visit to Georgia Tech scheduled for September 28th, Gilmore opted to be the likely final piece in VCU’s loaded 2014 recruiting class.

Exactly six years ago, Larry Sanders and Joey Rodriguez committed to Anthony Grant and VCU. Gilmore’s commitment alongside Melvin Johnson and Douglas Brooks shows that Smart has maintained the Florida pipeline that gave VCU talents like Sanders, Rodriguez, and Ed Nixon.

HAVOC! is alive and well, and Coach Smart is recruiting the talent to keep it that way for a long time. Michael Gilmore, welcome to VCU.

Player	City	High School	AAU	Height	Weight	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	Committed
Michael Gilmore	Tallahassee, FL	James S. Rickards High School	E1T1 Elite	6-9	210	★★★★ (#19 PF)	★★★ (NR)	★★★★ (#23 PF)	9/26/2013
Terry Larrier	Bronx, NY	Phelps School	Team SCAN	6-7	200	★★★★ (#15 SF)	★★★★ (NR)	★★★★ (#15 SF)	9/16/2013
Justin Tillman	Redford, MI	Pershing High School	R.E.A.C.H. Legends	6-7	200	★★★★ (#29 PF)	★★★ (NR)	★★★ (#28 PF)	8/30/2013
Jonathon Williams	Newark, NJ	St. Benedict’s Prep	Team Loaded	5-11	170	★★★★ (#25 PG)	★★★ (NR)	N/A	3/2/13

Related

• 2014 Recruiting
• Scholarship Grid

To stay up to date on all things VCU Basketball related, follow @rvaRAMnews on Twitter or Facebook and sign up for our email newsletter.

September 26, 2013 7:30 PM 0