Someone from the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch glances up from American Legion scores to notice that a local boy was on the U-19 team that won gold.

Dime Magazine tabs Gibbs as one of the players who broke out on the USA squad.

Pacing the Americans, Gibbs averaged 9.8 points and 2.2 assists a game during the 2009 FIBA World Championships. He only played 10.8 minutes a game (4.3 points) during his freshman year, but is a strong guard with a nice jumper which will give him plenty of playing time this season. Playing on a stacked Pittsburgh squad that just lost Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields, Gibbs will be a go-to player and leader for Coach Jamie Dixon’s young Pittsburgh squad.

And Ron Cook in the P-G has a piece on Gibbs.

“The best part for me was his defense,” Dixon said. “He was our best perimeter defense player. That was a big step for him. That’s what we’re going to need from him next season.”

The defensive improvement didn’t happen by accident, Gibbs said. “I’ve worked real hard this summer, especially on my defense and my lateral quickness. I think that improved a lot and I was able to express it at the tournament. I guarded the best guys on the other team in every game and did pretty well.”

Gibbs agrees with Dixon that his confidence will carry over into Pitt’s season.

“Definitely,” Gibbs said. “I played against some of the best players in the world in this tournament. If I can play with those guys, I know I can play with anybody in this country.”

He’s also very confident that Pitt will still make the NCAA Tournament. He definitely will be expected to be a team leader despite only being a sophomore.