Teammates Receive Scholarship Offers

Three sophomore guards on the Miami Dade College men’s basketball team that finished the season 21-11 have received scholarship offers at four-year schools to continue their education and basketball careers.

Point guard Shane Rector, who averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds this past year, has accepted a scholarship offer to play at Utah State University alongside MDC alumn, Darius Perkins. 

Rector played only one season at MDC. He transferred to the Sharks from the University of Missouri where he barely played as a freshman. Rector, who was a three-star recruit coming out of  South Kent School in Connecticut where he averaged 18.9 points per game his senior year, averaged 4.6 minutes per game, 0.5 points and 0.35 rebounds during his only season with the University of Missouri.

“I like the fact that Shane has gone through some adversity in his basketball career and bounced back to have success at Miami Dade,” said Utah State Men’s Head Basketball Coach Tim Duryea. “Sometimes, a player never hits any hard times until he gets to the Division I level, but Shane has seen the other side now. I think that made him stronger as a person going forward.”

Gilbert, who averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this past year,  is weighing offers from University of West Florida and Johnson and Wales University.

Coming out of Ridgeview High School in Orange Park, Florida, Gilbert aspired to continue playing basketball at the college level, but MDC was the only school that gave him an  opportunity.

“It made me play hard,” Gilbert said.  “I won’t take anything for granted.”

Gilbert showed steady improvement from his freshman campaign to his sophomore campaign at MDC. He improved his scoring average by 1.3 points per game, his three-point shooting percentage from 35.5 percent  to 38.3 and his free throwing shooting percentage from 57.1 percent  to 85 percent.  

“Jaylin came a long way since he joined the program,” said Men’s Head Basketball Coach Stephen Cowherd.

Guard Anthony Tompkins, who averaged 8.1 points per game for the Sharks this year and was usually assigned to cover the opposing teams top scorer because of his stout defense, is considering offers from Shaw University, Clarke University and Edwards Waters College.

Tompkins was a transfer from Iowa Western Community College where he averaged 3.3 points a game and five steals a game as a freshman. At MDC he increased his per game scoring average by nearly five points.

“He did a great job,” Cowherd said of Tompkins.