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October 18, 2017
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October 19, 2017
Years of being a year-round basketball player have finally taken its toll on the area’s largest basketball player.
But after a little rest, rehab and recovery time, Houma native and professional baller Gibby Talbot said he vows to be back on the court soon – better than ever.
Talbot underwent shoulder surgery on Friday to fix what he said was a problem that he’s dealt with for several years, but played through to keep moving forward in his career.
The surgery was a success and rehab and recovery will take about 4-6 months, depending on how Talbot’s body responds.
The 6-foot, 10-inch post player said it’s a setback, yes. But he quickly added that he plans to use the down time to get better and continue to prosper in his career.
“When I’m back to 100 percent, I plan on being the same player I’ve always been,” Talbot said. “I want to continue to get stronger and improve my game in the post because being a back to the basket player is a lot art in basketball today and I take pride in being more of an old-school player.”
Old-school? Maybe.
But he’s undoubtedly effective.
Talbot dominated the post his final two seasons at Ellender, which led to a scholarship with Louisiana Tech.
After two seasons with the Bulldogs, Talbot first transferred to UNO and then to LSU-Alexandria – the place which really brought out the best in the local at the next level.
With the Generals, Talbot feasted in coach Larry Cordaro’s scheme, pounding opponents in short spurts on both sides of the floor.
As a junior, Talbot played a big role in a Generals team which won more than 30 games and made a deep run in the NAIA National Tournament.
After an offseason of conditioning, Talbot showed up in the best shape of his life for his senior season and the results spilled onto the court.
He averaged 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for LSU-Alexandria last year, while showing 64.5 percent from the field.
Talbot was one of the best post players in the NAIA, earning both National Player of the Week and Conference Player of the Week after a mid-season stretch that saw him post 35 points and 32 rebounds combined in two games.
The Generals had another successful season in 2016-17, making it all the way to the Final Four of the NAIA National Tournament – the deepest the school has ever advanced in its brief, three-year history of having basketball.
That run solidified that Talbot had a winning season and won a conference title in all four of his active college seasons – a luxury he said was he will never forget.
“My college career was amazing and ort of storybook-like,” Talbot said. “I was very fortunate to have success at the college level which is something I will never take for granted. Not many people can say that they were able to play on really great teams with really great people, but I am one of them. It’s pretty surreal to look back and realize that I have four conference championship rings for all the years that I played at that level.”
And now, it’s time to regroup and reach the top.
Before the operation, Talbot was playing a showcase tour in Finland against some of the teams in that country as a way to get experience and some stats.
He dominated, recording several games with 20 or more points and a double-double in each contest.
“It was honestly a great experience,” Talbot said. “It was really cool to get to see another part of the world that I never imagined seeing and experiencing their culture and their way of life. I got to go up against some really talented guys and sort of made a name for myself out there, proving to myself that I could play at the next level.”
Talbot said the timing of the tour was a little unlucky because most of the teams had filled their rosters before they arrived, which left just limited opportunities for contracts.
But that proved to be a blessing in disguise, because it offered him a little downtime to get the operation, which fixed a few lingering issues he’s had for several months.
Once rehab is over, Talbot said it’s back to the grind.
He said he will work tirelessly to make his shoulder stronger than it was before so that he continue to be the bruising, physical presence in the post that he’s been since playing for the Patriots.
From there, Talbot said he’s also looking to expand his repertoire. The polished post player said he intends to shoot tons of jump shots, while also working on ball handling and footwork so that he can be quicker and more versatile, which he believes will make him a more signable player for teams overseas.
Talbot has nice touch around the basket and has historically been a solid free-throw shooter throughout his career.
“I’m going to continue improving upon my shooting abilities,” he said. “I want to be able to expand my range and become a more versatile player because the game is changing and you have to be able to do a multitude of things in order to become a professional basketball player.”
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