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When her high school career was over, she had but one goal — play Division I college basketball.
She developed her game, developed every aspect. She could have been content with natural ability, but Jenny Gilbertson expanded her game as a four-year starter at Cotter High School.
She took it outside the 3-point line. She learned to bring the ball up court, if needed. She played unselfish ball. And, man, could she block shots. She did a little of everything.
But none of that was what really grabbed the Kansas State coaching staff. They’ve seen those skills in a lot of players.
No, Jenny Gilbertson had something else, something that grabbed their attention.
It wasn’t the type of player Gilbertson was that earned her a full ride to play at Kansas State, it was the type of person she was. It was her attitude, her character. It was her competitive fire.
“She emits a hunger, a toughness and an intensity as a competitor that matches the character with which we have to compete,” said 12th-year women’s basketball coach Deb Patterson, who is the all-time winningest coach at Kansas State.
“There is no limit to the positives those attributes can bring to a Division I program.”
Kansas State was late to the party that was Jenny Gilbertson. The Wildcats
didn’t see her until late last summer when Gilbertson had her schools narrowed down to New Mexico, San Diego,
UW-Green Bay and North Dakota State. It took just one look for Patterson to know she was a perfect fit.
“I saw her compete and immediately was just struck,” Patterson said. “The first thought was, ‘This is a Kansas State-type player.’”
After Gilbertson got a taste of Kansas State, she didn’t want to go anywhere else. And when Patterson called to offer the scholarship, it took her all of two seconds to accept it. Her goal was accomplished.
“I’m excited for Jenny because she gets a chance to compete at an extremely high level,” Cotter coach Pat Bowlin said. “I have pride for all athletes that get to go on and play at the next level. For Jenny, this is what she wanted. This was her goal. It’s fun to see her achieve her goal. And even better, she’ll have an experience that will help her the rest of her life.”
Talking with Patterson and Gilbertson, it’s obvious there isn’t a free pass to getting on the court as a freshman. But, there is a way to do it and it seems all too easy and all too hard at the same time.
All Patterson would need to see out of Gilbertson to give her playing time next season is a determination to rebound and play defense.
“Because Jenny is so competitive, she’ll find ways to get some minutes on the court,” Patterson said. “How many? I don’t know. She’s going to find one or two ways to earn time on the floor just by the fact she will compete hard, defend and get rebounds.”
Patterson went on to describe what a player needs to do to rebound and how she thought Gilbertson was all those things.
“She has a nose for the ball,” Patterson said.
Kansas State won the
Big 12 Conference regular-season championship this season. The Wildcats earned a fifth seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost their best player in the conference tournament and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Next season, Gilbertson will be one of three highly recruited freshmen at her position. The Wildcats also have two solid forwards returning.
“We’ll be reloading,” Patterson said, noting they’ll be losing their All-American guard. “It should be fun because she’s coming in with two young post players. We’ll be making some adjustments and will try to compete to make it back to the NCAA tournament.”
Realistically, Gilbertson will be in transition her first season or two. She knows she needs to get stronger and faster.
“She can be a factor in making us better, more competitive and more physical,” Patterson said. “I have an open mind with respect to the kind of contribution she can make. It will be a process. It’s an exception when a freshman comes in and sees significant time. There’s just a natural progression.”
