History maker
photo by Alex Smyth
Relentless drive: Gibson-Bascombe broke the scoring record at the U of O on Nov. 13 against Western.
Gibson-Bascombe becomes Gee-Gees’ all-time scoring leader
IT WAS ONLY a matter of time before he broke the record.
With five points in the first half against the Western Mustangs on Nov. 13, Gee-Gees fifth-year guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe officially became the all-time regular season scoring leader in the men’s basketball program at the U of O. By one point he eclipsed former Gee-Gee Alex McLeod’s (2002–07) record of 1,167 career points.
“It’s a good accomplishment,” said Gibson-Bascombe of the historic feat, following his team’s 87-76 victory over the Mustangs. “[It’s] because of my teammates and my coaches, pushing me every day in practice. Winning is the main thing, but this is an extra bonus.”
The Toronto native began the season with 1,128 points, just 39 points shy of McLeod’s mark. In addition, he needed 12 points to pass former Gee-Gee Marko Jovic (1,139 points in 2001–06) and 30 to pull ahead of former player Bill Shane (1,157 points during 1985–91). Gibson-Bascombe vaulted past the latter two players when he scored 35 points last week on the road against the Brock Badgers and Guelph Gryphons Nov. 6–7.
“Last week at the Guelph game, [McLeod] says, ‘Coach, you pulled [Gibson-Bascombe] off with five minutes to go and he needed four points to break the record!’” Gee-Gees head coach Dave DeAveiro said with a smile after the game against Western. “I didn’t even know about [the record]. I didn’t know about the record until last week.”
DeAveiro has coached Gibson-Bascombe during all five of his years on the Ottawa squad. He’s happy that he’s the player breaking the record.
“If a guy is going to break it, it should be [Gibson-Bascombe],” he said. “He’s been here five years and has been a great leader and great player. He’s the face of the program.”
Gibson-Bascombe recorded 105 points in his 10-game rookie year in 2005–06, and followed it up with three seasons of 318, 335, and 370 points each. Through the first four games in 2009–10, the guard has 81 points, pushing him to 1,209 for his career. If he stays healthy and continues his pace of 20 points per game, he could finish his final season with over 400 points—and over 1,500 in his career, leaving him as one of the most proficient scorers in Ontario University Athletics history.
“It’ll take some more time [to sink in],” he said of the record.
For Gibson-Bascombe, the accomplishment is of secondary importance.
“I care about winning, so as long we’re winning, that’s all right. Over five years here we’ve been successful, and hopefully this year we can finish on top.”
