Standing on the court in White Auditorium at a game against Newman University on Feb. 21, Gracie Gilpin took advantage of an opportunity to increase the Hornets’ 46-46 lead over the Jets. Off of a cross-court pass from graduate student guard Kaitlyn Sanders, Gilpin shot a three in what would land her beyond the 1,000 career point mark.
“I was focused on hitting the shot that Kaitlyn (Sanders) got me a cross-court pass for. It wasn’t until shortly after, when Coach called a timeout, that it really sank in,” she said. Gilpin told The Bulletin it was “special” to celebrate the moment with her teammates.
Surpassing 1,000 career points wasn’t a goal she set out for herself either. Instead, she says her goal was to simply compete with the Hornets and help them win. To her, achieving the milestone represents more than just a statistic.
“It represents all the countless hours, sacrifices, and belief from coaches, teammates and the community around me,” she said. “I’ll probably look back on it differently when my career is done, but it is surreal and very humbling to hear my name mentioned on a list of so many great players”.
Looking back on her time at White Auditorium, Gilpin said she had grown not only as a player but also as a person. Sports have been deeply embedded into her life since the third grade, and they’ve helped her to see how putting in the work would lead to success.
The career highlight emphasized not only her individual performance, but the collective effort and support from everyone involved in her basketball journey, including her parents who made sacrifices for her career and the friends sports have “allowed (her) to share experiences with.”
“Growing up, I had coaches who believed in me, great teammates to play with and especially supportive parents,” she said. She went on to say, “That’s what I love about basketball, knowing my family is supporting me, being part of a team surrounded by friends, and playing for a legacy program at ESU has been a dream come true.”
Looking ahead, Gilpin says she wants to be remembered as a player that gave it her all and was a good teammate.
“You don’t have to be the biggest, jump the highest, or fastest person. Young players should know that hard work and effort is what it takes to accomplish your goals when you set your mind to it.”
