Highlights of Carmel's Eddie Gill IndyStar Sports
Carmel – Cole Jenkins had high praise for teammate Eddie Gill after Saturday’s semistate win over previously unbeaten South Bend Riley.
“I told him after the game that I didn’t think we’d practicing this week if not for him,” Jenkins said of his Carmel teammate. “A healthy Eddie Gill has probably been the biggest part of our run.”
Gill, a 6-foot senior, has played a key role as a defensive stopper and an athletic guard who can create his own shot for the Greyhounds (21-7), who will play top-ranked Warren Central (31-0) for the Class 4A state championship at 8:15 p.m.Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
It did not start out that way. Gill, a role player who averaged 2.7 points per game as a junior, suffered a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee on the second day of practice in November. “I had some doctors tell me that I might not be able to play the rest of the season. It turned out I needed one surgery and about a 10-week recovery process.”
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It was the time in between that impressed first-year Carmel coach Ryan Osborn the most. Gill, the son of former Indiana Pacer guard Eddie Gill, could have sulked as he watched the inactive weeks tick by in his senior season. He chose not to take that route.
“He was devastated,” Osborn said. “He collapsed at practice and didn’t know what it was at first. But he came back to practice and he wasn’t just sitting there drinking water on the sidelines. He was into it and engaged and keeping the other guys engaged. That’s why I think he was able to come back and have an impact.”
Gill missed the first 10 games of the season, making his first appearance in a 61-29 win over Avon on Jan. 16. It was not a bad start – 13 points, four rebounds and four steals in 13 minutes.
“His confidence has only gone up since then,” Osborn said. “The game is slower for him. You can see it in the way he is able to make plays for others. He has that experience now.”
Gill's defensive assignment is often the opposing team’s best player. Such was the case in the 63-43 win over South Bend Riley on Saturday. Gill went head-to-head with 6-6 Indiana recruit Damezi Anderson and held South Bend’s all-time leading scorer to six points on 2-for-12 shooting.
It was not just defense, either. Gill pitched in 11 points despite taking just three shots (6-for-7 from the free-throw line) and also had three assists and three rebounds.
“He’s just a freak athlete,” Jenkins said. “We all know him because of his defense. He can shut anyone down in the state, but on offense he is a drive-and-kick threat. He can jump up there with anybody. It is good to have somebody like that on your team.”
Some might say fortunate, as well. Gill’s family landed in central Indiana after his father’s professional basketball career. The elder Gill, a Colorado native who played at Weber State in college, played for the Pacers from 2004-06 as well as New Jersey, Memphis, Portland, Milwaukee and Seattle over parts of seven NBA seasons. When Gill’s professional career ended in 2012, the family already had roots down in Carmel.
“Carmel has really been our home since 2004,” Gill Jr. said. “There’s definitely a lot of basketball talk between my dad and I. He’s coached my AAU team the past three or four years. He obviously played at the highest level in the NBA so I just try to learn from him. Aside from that, he tries to incorporate life lessons and moral things into basketball.”
The father works as an analyst for Fox Sports Indiana on the Pacers’ pregame and postgame shows, in addition to his job as a financial advisor at Wells Fargo.
“He was a really good defender,” Gill Jr. said of his father. “He’s taught me a lot of tricks to keep people in front of me and get steals and deflections.”
Gill is averaging 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game and is one of the team’s best free-throw shooters (78 percent). But many of his best qualities and contributions are not found while searching the box score.
“I really pride myself on my defense and shutting down the other team’s best player each and every night,” Gill said. “Aside from that, doing whatever I need to do to help us win. If that means locking up the best player or guarding a 3-point shooter or whatever. I pride myself on doing whatever the coach needs me to get done.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6644.
When are IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals?
Class A: Morristown (27-2) vs. Southwood (25-3), 10:30 a.m.
Class 2A: Forest Park (26-4) vs. Oak Hill (25-5), 12:45 p.m.
Class 3A: Evansville Bosse (25-4) vs. Culver Academies (22-6), 6 p.m.
Class 4A: Warren Central (31-0) vs. Carmel (21-7), 8:15 p.m.
Where are state finals?
All games Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
How to get tickets to state finals
Admission: $15.00 per session (two games). All day tickets (fourgames for $30) may be ordered online. Tickets left after participating school sales will be available Saturday at the ticket office at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Gates open: Bankers Life Fieldhouse will open its gates to fans one hour prior to the start of each session - 9:30 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. The venue will be cleared between the Class 2A and 3A games.
Security: All people as well as their bags and purses will be subject to a security inspection. A full list of prohibited items can be found in the Fieldhouse Fan Guide. Misconduct, mistreatment of Fieldhouse staff or other prohibited behavior will be addressed promptly and violators are subject to ejection from the premises or arrest. Check out the code of conduct.
Source: IHSAA
