Hochman: ‘The Old Man and the 3.’ SLU’s Gibson Jimerson, 25, still shooting in 6th season
Gibson Jimerson leads all active NCAA men's basketball players in career 3-pointers, which is even more impressive if you consider that when he started playing college hoops, they didn't even have a 3-point line.
Joking, of course, but it's bonkers that the Billiken is in his sixth season for St. Louis University. Sixth! He's 25. Heck, he was born in the 1990s (Sept. 21, 1999). Bill Clinton was president. SLU was in Conference USA. To quote the title of a popular podcast with a retired basketball sharpshooter, Jimerson is "The Old Man and the 3."
Some 25-year-olds endure a "quarter-life crisis" in which the real world makes them yearn for college glory days. Well, the 25-year-old Jimerson is literally still in his.
Jimerson earned one extra year with a medical hardship waiver following a 2019-20 foot injury after just 10 games (which is the maximum number of games you can play but still get the waiver). And Jimerson earned another extra year because the 2020-21 COVID season didn't count against players' eligibility.
Then consider that he did a fifth year of high school by attending a prep school called Montverde Academy. That gets you to age 25.
"We were doing a little team exercise the other day, and a lot of (the players) were talking about COVID," said Jimerson, the 6-foot-5 guard. "One of them was like, 'Yeah, I was a freshman in high school when COVID happened.' And I was like, 'Geez! I was into my freshman year of college, going into my sophomore year.'
"On the court, I don't really notice (the age difference) with guys. I think outside of the court, yes, probably just because I'm in a different stage of life. And most of the guys are coming into college or experiencing all those new things that come along with that, whereas I've done it."
Three games into this season for SLU — the first with new coach Josh Schertz — Jimerson is averaging 22.3 points per game (though consider that one of SLU's top players, Robbie Avila, hasn't played yet). Jimerson's previous best full season average was 16.3. For his six-year career, he has averaged 14.0 points and shot exactly 40% from 3-point range.
Obviously, previous SLU players played fewer seasons — and many of the greats averaged more points per game — but Jimerson has the third-most points in SLU history (1,892). He trails only Erwin Claggett (1,910) and Anthony Bonner (1,972). So yeah, Jimerson could be SLU's all-time leading scorer by mid-December.
"He's dependable, he's durable," Schertz said. "Everything you want in a player, he brings. ... And just knowing him, 'Gib' probably had the maturity of a 25-year-old at, like, 5."
During his years at SLU, Jimerson has had 56 different teammates.
And counting graduate assistants and support staff, he's had 26 coaches.
He's in his sixth year at SLU, yet every other current teammate is in their third or first year with the Billikens. Dylan Warlick is the youngest current Jimerson teammate. He was born March 8, 2006.
And Jimerson already has two degrees. The former academic All-American earned a bachelor's degree in international business as well as his Master of Business Administration.
"I looked into getting another master's degree, but it wouldn't have worked in the time frame that I had," Jimerson said. "So I'm just doing a (post-baccalaureate) certificate in organizational leadership."
Interestingly, the native of Richmond, Virginia, went to three different high schools in five years, yet he's now at his lone college for a sixth year.
At Montverde Academy, Jimerson was older than students Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes — both of whom have become NBA stars, while Jimerson is still finishing college eligibility. Jimerson is just a year younger than Jordan Goodwin, the former SLU star who is 26 and played in the NBA. And check this out: The current college basketball player once faced an opponent who is now 30. That was Seton Hall's Romaro Gill, who played against Jimerson and SLU in November 2019.
Jimerson actually considered playing this season at a different college. He was recruited by coach Travis Ford, let go by SLU after the 2023-24 season. But Jimerson clicked with Schertz.
"There are a few reasons," Jimerson said. "One, I just think the way he coaches, his style of play, fits me very well — very free flowing, kind of modern offense, obviously focused on analytics, shooting a lot of 3s and layups. That kind of tailors to what I do best, shooting and cutting. And so I just think it was kind of a seamless fit from that standpoint.
"Also just him as a coach. I was in the (transfer) portal, and you hear from all these coaches, and especially nowadays, everything is so transactional. I really felt like he cared about me as a person and, you know, really wanted me to be here. He's just a genuine, authentic guy. And I really appreciated that, especially in today's kind of climate of college basketball."
Jimerson in a relationship with a girl from the St. Louis area. And he said he wants to live in St. Louis after basketball ends. It seems like he's been here forever — and he plans on being here forever.
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