Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Texas A&M Basketball
“The thing DeAndre Jordan has, you can’t teach. He has that size and athleticism, so it is basically an advantage for him and his team. DeAndre has put it to great use and has figured out what he is. He is one of the better rebounders in the league, and he is one of the better shot blockers in the league. He doesn’t try to do anything more than that, he will go out there and get you 15 rebounds every night, he is going out there and getting 2 or 3 blocks every night. That is catapulting him to being one of the better, if not the one of the best, big men in the game right now. He is just sticking to his script and he knows what he is and goes out and odes it to the best of his ability.”
“DeAndre is a fun guy. He came in on his visit and had a lot of energy. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to play with him. I loved playing with Joseph Jones and I wish there had been one year where we had both of those guys. He is just a fun guy. He is charismatic, he brings energy, and you can see it in his style of play. His energy level is always up and I had fun with him when I got to meet him hang out with him when he came on his visit. DeAndre had a good time at A&M, and like I said before, everybody knows what he is doing now in the NBA. He is a great guy.”
“The Bennett brothers and Von Miller are some high character guys. They are a lot of fun. Michael Bennett is hilarious. I am always looking forward to hearing him speak his mind. You can’t do anything but respect a guy who tells it like it is and doesn’t hold anything back. Being good at what he does and giving his honest opinion about what he sees, you don’t always get that. So I cant do anything but respect a guy like that.”
“The Bennett brothers are different. They are true to themselves. We had a lot of fun with Martellus. I didn’t get to play with DeAndre but I would imagine they are similar. Martellus was one of those guys who would joke with Coach Gillispie when Coach wasn’t in the mood to be joking. Martellus is one of those who doesn’t know how to filter himself, so he is just going to be who he is and his brother is the same way. He was a good guy to play with.”
“Martellus is just true to himself. He came into basketball season and didn’t know any better. He didn’t know the mentality that Coach Gillispie had day in and day out. He came in and busted his butt and had fun in the process. Coach Gillispie, the fans, and his former teammates cant do anything but respect him. A guy that came in and was winning sprints and hustling for the loose balls and diving on the floor, but he’s having fun while he was doing it. I see nothing wrong with that, and Coach Gillispie didn’t either. It was fun and it brought energy to our team. It was a lot of fun playing with him.”
“I think Admon Gilder could go down as a one of the top scorers that played at A&M. I do feel that way. His ability to score is effortless. It is as if he is not even sweating. He just knows how to play and score that basketball. Another thing I like about him is his poise. He is always even keel in pressure moments. You go back to the Northern Iowa game when all of this chaos is going on and everyone is going crazy. He was just in the moment playing as if the game had just tipped off. He was making crucial plays and leading his team a win. You can see early the versatility, he is interchangeable. Admon can play the point and lead the offense, but then also can score so you can slide him to the 2-guard and feature him in the offense. I don’t know about hanging in the rafters, but he has the opportunity to be a very productive player that people will talk about for a very long time after he is done playing at A&M.”
“I look at my accomplishments as a tribute to our team. When I heard that DJ Hogg was going to wear my number, I really didn’t have an issue with him wearing the number. I just look at that as what our team went through, what our program was and what we were able to get it to and the hard work that we put in. It is fun; I take my kids to the game and tell them ‘Hey look, dad’s number is up there’. Truly and honestly that jersey represents Coach Gillispie, Joseph Jones, Dominique Kirk, Josh Carter, Marlon Pompey, Antanas Kavaliauskas, and so on. It represented all the sweat, blood, and tears that went into that team that helped the program get back to where is was.”
“I wouldn’t compare Admon to Donald Sloan. I think Sloan is more athletic. Admon is smooth to me. He is just fluid and his play looks easy to me. I think Sloan is a little more rugged. He had a lot of athleticism and he plays hard. He is a tough guy and I think that they are similar in stature and size. I think Admon has a little more of a silk, smooth game than what Sloan had.”
“Admon’s feel for the game is what sticks out to me. He has great poise and that is how he plays. He is always even keel and he is always thinking and doesn’t get caught up in the moment. Stepping to the line and having to make free throws, he has been there before, knocks them down. They needed a basket late in a late game situation; he has been there before and he goes and makes a play. You enjoy seeing that and that is a very important quality to have as a player, and for him to be only a freshman and display that is special. I look forward to this coming season and see that transition where he has more responsibility and more of a scoring role on this team. I think he will make a big jump.”
“I think Admon has the body and the size and athleticism. Along with the quickness and lateral movement to be good defensively. I think it comes down to his mind and his will, and I think he has that. He is a Dallas kid who played and won at a high level here. I think he is going to be fine. He is going to be a complete player that can play on both sides of the ball. Defensively I think he will do well.”
“Coach Gillispie gave me the opportunity at Kansas (in 2007). It was just one of those situations where he told me he was going to give me the ball. He drew up the play and he put it in my hand and gave me the opportunity to make that basket. I tell you, going into that game we talked about it as a team, Joseph Jones said we were going to go and beat them at home and then we were going to jump on the Jayhawk. I remember, if you watch that video, he was looking at me and his eyes are crazy and he tells me ‘I told you, I told you’. I remember joking about that and then it actually happened. In that moment, it was an amazing moment. We had so many great times there and it was definitely a great moment to go into Kansas, one of the top teams in the country and beat them on their home floor. That was a great moment for us.”
“Brandon Rush is 6’6”. I just sized him up and gave him a little jab step then he gave me a little space. Then I just took the moment and rather than going for it to tie the game, I wanted to use some gusto and go for the win. I had been in that moment before, I was able to make that play and help us get the win. Sloan made some great plays and had a great game, too. Dominique made some big shots and Joseph had a huge three pointer.
It has always been a collective effort. I always try to bring light to what my teammates were able to accomplish. They always made the play before I was able to make the play. That gave me the opportunity to make that shot, but we don’t have that moment is Joseph or Dominique doesn’t make a play. It’s a collective effort. Everybody went in there and it wasn’t just me going in and making the play there at the end. It was us battling for 40 minutes and having the opportunity to make that shot.”
Acie Law IV breaks down Admon Gilder, remembers 2007 KU upset
Key quotes from Acie Law IV interview
“There are some great things going on in Aggie sports right now. The baseball team is putting a lot of pressure on the football team going into this year.”“The thing DeAndre Jordan has, you can’t teach. He has that size and athleticism, so it is basically an advantage for him and his team. DeAndre has put it to great use and has figured out what he is. He is one of the better rebounders in the league, and he is one of the better shot blockers in the league. He doesn’t try to do anything more than that, he will go out there and get you 15 rebounds every night, he is going out there and getting 2 or 3 blocks every night. That is catapulting him to being one of the better, if not the one of the best, big men in the game right now. He is just sticking to his script and he knows what he is and goes out and odes it to the best of his ability.”
“DeAndre is a fun guy. He came in on his visit and had a lot of energy. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to play with him. I loved playing with Joseph Jones and I wish there had been one year where we had both of those guys. He is just a fun guy. He is charismatic, he brings energy, and you can see it in his style of play. His energy level is always up and I had fun with him when I got to meet him hang out with him when he came on his visit. DeAndre had a good time at A&M, and like I said before, everybody knows what he is doing now in the NBA. He is a great guy.”
“The Bennett brothers and Von Miller are some high character guys. They are a lot of fun. Michael Bennett is hilarious. I am always looking forward to hearing him speak his mind. You can’t do anything but respect a guy who tells it like it is and doesn’t hold anything back. Being good at what he does and giving his honest opinion about what he sees, you don’t always get that. So I cant do anything but respect a guy like that.”
“The Bennett brothers are different. They are true to themselves. We had a lot of fun with Martellus. I didn’t get to play with DeAndre but I would imagine they are similar. Martellus was one of those guys who would joke with Coach Gillispie when Coach wasn’t in the mood to be joking. Martellus is one of those who doesn’t know how to filter himself, so he is just going to be who he is and his brother is the same way. He was a good guy to play with.”
“Martellus is just true to himself. He came into basketball season and didn’t know any better. He didn’t know the mentality that Coach Gillispie had day in and day out. He came in and busted his butt and had fun in the process. Coach Gillispie, the fans, and his former teammates cant do anything but respect him. A guy that came in and was winning sprints and hustling for the loose balls and diving on the floor, but he’s having fun while he was doing it. I see nothing wrong with that, and Coach Gillispie didn’t either. It was fun and it brought energy to our team. It was a lot of fun playing with him.”
“I think Admon Gilder could go down as a one of the top scorers that played at A&M. I do feel that way. His ability to score is effortless. It is as if he is not even sweating. He just knows how to play and score that basketball. Another thing I like about him is his poise. He is always even keel in pressure moments. You go back to the Northern Iowa game when all of this chaos is going on and everyone is going crazy. He was just in the moment playing as if the game had just tipped off. He was making crucial plays and leading his team a win. You can see early the versatility, he is interchangeable. Admon can play the point and lead the offense, but then also can score so you can slide him to the 2-guard and feature him in the offense. I don’t know about hanging in the rafters, but he has the opportunity to be a very productive player that people will talk about for a very long time after he is done playing at A&M.”
“I look at my accomplishments as a tribute to our team. When I heard that DJ Hogg was going to wear my number, I really didn’t have an issue with him wearing the number. I just look at that as what our team went through, what our program was and what we were able to get it to and the hard work that we put in. It is fun; I take my kids to the game and tell them ‘Hey look, dad’s number is up there’. Truly and honestly that jersey represents Coach Gillispie, Joseph Jones, Dominique Kirk, Josh Carter, Marlon Pompey, Antanas Kavaliauskas, and so on. It represented all the sweat, blood, and tears that went into that team that helped the program get back to where is was.”
“I wouldn’t compare Admon to Donald Sloan. I think Sloan is more athletic. Admon is smooth to me. He is just fluid and his play looks easy to me. I think Sloan is a little more rugged. He had a lot of athleticism and he plays hard. He is a tough guy and I think that they are similar in stature and size. I think Admon has a little more of a silk, smooth game than what Sloan had.”
“Admon’s feel for the game is what sticks out to me. He has great poise and that is how he plays. He is always even keel and he is always thinking and doesn’t get caught up in the moment. Stepping to the line and having to make free throws, he has been there before, knocks them down. They needed a basket late in a late game situation; he has been there before and he goes and makes a play. You enjoy seeing that and that is a very important quality to have as a player, and for him to be only a freshman and display that is special. I look forward to this coming season and see that transition where he has more responsibility and more of a scoring role on this team. I think he will make a big jump.”
“I think Admon has the body and the size and athleticism. Along with the quickness and lateral movement to be good defensively. I think it comes down to his mind and his will, and I think he has that. He is a Dallas kid who played and won at a high level here. I think he is going to be fine. He is going to be a complete player that can play on both sides of the ball. Defensively I think he will do well.”
“Coach Gillispie gave me the opportunity at Kansas (in 2007). It was just one of those situations where he told me he was going to give me the ball. He drew up the play and he put it in my hand and gave me the opportunity to make that basket. I tell you, going into that game we talked about it as a team, Joseph Jones said we were going to go and beat them at home and then we were going to jump on the Jayhawk. I remember, if you watch that video, he was looking at me and his eyes are crazy and he tells me ‘I told you, I told you’. I remember joking about that and then it actually happened. In that moment, it was an amazing moment. We had so many great times there and it was definitely a great moment to go into Kansas, one of the top teams in the country and beat them on their home floor. That was a great moment for us.”
“Brandon Rush is 6’6”. I just sized him up and gave him a little jab step then he gave me a little space. Then I just took the moment and rather than going for it to tie the game, I wanted to use some gusto and go for the win. I had been in that moment before, I was able to make that play and help us get the win. Sloan made some great plays and had a great game, too. Dominique made some big shots and Joseph had a huge three pointer.
It has always been a collective effort. I always try to bring light to what my teammates were able to accomplish. They always made the play before I was able to make the play. That gave me the opportunity to make that shot, but we don’t have that moment is Joseph or Dominique doesn’t make a play. It’s a collective effort. Everybody went in there and it wasn’t just me going in and making the play there at the end. It was us battling for 40 minutes and having the opportunity to make that shot.”
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