2018 G Kaitlyn Gilbert has committed to Notre Dame
Katlyn Gilbert is a tough person to guard when she is attacking off the dribble. *Photo by Ty Freeman.
Class of 2018 guard Kaitlyn Gilbert of Indianapolis, Indiana, has given a verbal pledge to Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw and her staff. Gilbert is ranked as the No. 14 player in the class of 2018 and holds the honor of being the third-ranked guard in the class. In addition to Notre Dame, programs such as Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, South Carolina and Connecticut were in the mix for the 5-foot-11 prospect.
Notre Dame seems like a natural fit for Gilbert. As a versatile guard who is comfortable working with and without the basketball, her style of play is in line with former Notre Dame guards such as Kayla McBride and others.
Katlyn Gilbert of Indianapolis gives
Notre Dame a top 20 commit in 2018.
*Photo by Ty Freeman.This summer Gilbert played for Best Choice United, arguably one of the premier indepedant club teams in the country. As one of the leaders on the team, Gilbert had an expanded role and was able to show her overall skill set as well as her long-term athletic potential. Gilbert has the potential to be a primary wing scorer who can be efficient playing off the bounce to get to the rim and create jump shot opportunities in one-on-one situations. Gilbert looks to be more comfortable shooting off the bounce and on the move. She has a lot of confidence in her ability to make a pull-up jumper and as she becomes more consistent in this area, other parts of her game will continue to open up.
As she moves forward, it will be critical for Gilbert to continue the development path that she is on. As one of the premier players in the class of 2018, Gilbert has separated herself as a highly skilled guard with the ability to play with and without the basketball. One area of importance will be improving her catch and shoot percentage as she will need to be respected behind the 3-point line to open up driving opportunities.
Gilbert is the first member of the 2018 class to commit to Notre Dame, and her choice gives the ACC school a great start. With Coach McGraw and her staff still working on a few impact recruits in the 2017 class, Gilbert’s decision might give them quality momentum moving forward.
Keil Moore is the Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report and international scouting report. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and has been a member of the women's basketball community for more than eight years as a trainer and evaluator. He can be reached at keil@prospectsnation.com.
