Senior Spotlight: Julian Gamble

The Canes wrap uptheir regular season this week with a pair of home games against Georgia Tech(3/6) and Clemson (3/9). With five seniors on the roster, HurricaneSports.comis honoring a different one each day this week leading up to Senior Day onSaturday against Clemson. Today, we chat with senior big man Julian Gamble.

Julian Gamble
Durham, N.C.
6.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg

What is your favoritememory or moment as a Hurricane?

“It has to be this season. This season has just beenincredible. It is something I have always dreamed of having and spending thistime with the guys and the coaches, and especially having as many seniors as wehave, it has really been a good feeling for us.  All the adversity we had to overcome, me in my six years,some guys in their fifth and even guys in their fourth, we have had to endure alot over these years.  This season,as a whole, and particularly that Duke win at home, was great feeling.”

Considering all theadversity you have overcome, what do you think of how your career has turnedout?

“It has been incredible and it has been a blessing. Comingback for this year, it was a second chance to finish my career off the rightway.  I have said this a number oftimes before, I don’t feel like the things I have done up until now have shownthe kind of player that I am. I know I was much better than that, so to have anopportunity to come back to prove that and help as much as I have this season,to help us have this amount of success has been a tremendous feeling.”

What do you think of yourlegacy at Miami?

“It has been a good one.  I think I can serve as an inspiration to people who gothrough things and feel like the cards are stacked against them. I am proofthat you can come out on top and that just comes from being relentless and perseveringthrough everything that happens to you. Statistically, it may not be one the greatest careers in Miami history.But I hope intangibly, people can look back and say that I have done somethingat this university that has not been done before.”

In your six years,you filled a variety of roles. What does it mean to finally play a key role inwhat has been your best season at The U?

“I just want to help my team win anyway possible.  Throughout my career here, I haveplayed every role there is to play on a team. Being able to contribute to asmany wins we have had this year and in the past has been a blessing.  I have learned a lot in my time hereand I had a lot of good teammates and brotherhoods that will last forever.”

What do you think ofthe future for Miami Basketball?

“Going forward, I see them just continuing to build a legacyand becoming more prestigious. With the leadership of Coach L and the types of recruits I know he willcontinue to get, I think the success will continue to build.  Everyone’s history has to startsomewhere and I think this is where Miami’s history can start. I know we havehad some good history in the past, but I hope they will continue to makehistory and live up to a standard in the future so that everybody around thecountry will know what Miami basketball is.”

What has it been liketo be a part of the group that got this team going under Coach L?

“It is really special. It is a testament to our hard workand everything we have done in the offseason, in the summer and up until now.With the types of games that we have played, we just show people that we are arelentless team and that we have won every type of game there is to win. Wehave played a lot of close battles either at home or the road.  I think going forward that can be anexample we set that Miami plays a tough brand of basketball on a nightlybasis.”

What do you hope todo in your future?

“Definitely professional basketball, whether it is in theNBA or overseas.  After that, maybetry to get into some type of coaching because I love the game. I love to teachthe game and I feel I am very intellectual in that aspect so definitely beingaround the game of basketball for much longer.”

Prior to this season,was playing professionally something that you considered a realistic goal ordid this year give you confidence that it could actually happen?

“I would say it was realistic. I think now I have a muchbetter shot than I had before, but it was always something realistic. You willalways have an opportunity to play somewhere and I am an opportunity-based guy.I believe that if you get the opportunity, you have to make the most ofit.  A perfect example of that isthis entire season. With that being said, it is more of a realistic goal nowthan before.”

Obviously the team isplaying very well, but how much of an impact has Coach L had on you and yourteammates?

“He has had a tremendous impact.  Not only on the basketball program, but this entireuniversity.  He also has made a bigimpact on us as individuals.  Hebrought us together and he came in with a passion for teaching and wanting usto improve every single day. I think that is something that helps us out somuch.  Personally, I learned somuch from him. He has taught me many life lessons that I will keep from nowon.”

What do you think ofthe emergence of the basketball program? Does this feel more like a basketballschool now that it did when you got here?

“I would not sayit has gone that far.  We have donesome unprecedented things this season, but you cannot argue with the history wehave here from a football and baseball perspective.  I think we want to become a more all-around school; I don’tthink it is a situation where we are competing with other sports for notorietybecause, at the end of the day, we are all a family, we are the Miami family,so we want the football team to succeed, the baseball team to succeed and weall come out and support each other. I have personal relationships with players on both teams, so I think itis a situation where we are all pulling for each other.”

What is yourrelationship like with the coaches and the rest of the team?

“I feel like I am a big brother to a lot of these guys.  I look out for a lot of these guys onour team. If anybody needs anything, I am one of the first people they call andI am pretty much the guy that delivers. They come to me for advice because theyknow I have been around for a while and have had a lot of experiences.  As far as the coaches, they are allfather figures to me.  All of theirknowledge and the different things they say to me has been helpful. They seemlike they are all on the same page and that is something I can learn from themgoing forward. Whether it is in my playing or coaching career, I know thatbeing on the same page is very important. The love I have for them and my teammates is indescribable and it hasbeen a great experience.”

How does this groupcompare to some of the other teams you played on in the past?

“We just like to have fun.  Even off the court, we spend a lot of time with each other.We are like a family.  We are likebrothers and we clash sometimes, but at the same time, we spend so much timetogether playing video games, going to the movies, or just in the locker roomlaughing and having a good time.  Justlast week, we were in the locker room playing dodge ball with everybody. Welove to do spur of the moment things and we just love to have fun.  Another good thing about our team isthat in the midst of all this success, we still have the time to stay groundedand just be kids at the end of the day.”

What is the highlightof your career?

“Personally, I think one of my highlights was in Hawai’iafter Reggie went down and guys being uncertain and not really knowing whatwould happen. That was a time I knew I was going to step up. I knew I had to goout there and play my absolute best basketball at a time my team needed it themost. To really emerge as not only a leader on and off the court butproduction-wise, being a guy you can count on every single night, that meant alot to me.  I think that moment washuge for me and my team. It is something that we have built on.”

What has it been liketo help take this program all the way to No. 2 in the rankings?

“We have had some ups and downs since I have been here.  We have been to the NCAA tournament,but that was all the way back in my freshman year. We have been ranked, butnever anywhere as high as the Top 15. Coming all the way to No. 2 is a surrealfeeling. It is kind of hard to describe, but at the same time once you are No.2, you want to know what No. 1 feels like.  At this point in the season, even though we have lost acouple of games, it is still a realistic goal for us and winning a nationalchampionship has become a more realistic goal than it has ever been.”

What’s your favoriteCoach L story?

“We just spoke yesterday before film and he was showing us apicture of him shooting while he was at Providence. He was telling us storiesabout everyone’s uniform and how they all wore Chuck Taylors and they had ametal belt buckle on their shorts. In the picture, they looked like compressionshorts. Definitely nothing like you would see anyone get caught in today.  Coach L has millions of good storiesand millions of connections that really help us out, so it is really enjoyablebeing around him.  He is like afather figure to us all.”

What do you think ofthe opportunities you’ve had at Miami?

“They have kind of come and gone.  In my past years, I have had some opportunities and thensome of those opportunities get taken for whatever reason. Having to go fromone role to a different role, whether it be starting or coming off the bench,was challenging at times.  But anyopportunity that I did get, I tried to take full advantage of it. I never tookanything for granted and always go in everyday with the mindset that I want toimprove and do anything for my team to win.”

Basketball hasallowed you to travel the world. You have been all over the United States andeven to Africa. Could you ever have imagined the game taking you to so manyplaces?

“It’s amazing. I’m a kid from Durham and nobody from where Iam from gets the opportunity to experience things that great. The truth is veryfew people make it out of that situation. To have basketball take me around the world has been a blessing.  I’ve had the opportunity to play at thehighest level and to do all these things that I never could have imagined.These are life experiences that are bigger than basketball. One day I won’t beable to play basketball anymore, but that is not going to stop the game fromgiving to me. I hope to give back to basketball half as much as it has given tome.  It is something that has beena blessing for me and something that will stay with me for the rest of mylife.”

As a Durham, N.C.,native, was it extra special to beat Duke so many times while you were here?

Yes, it has been special. Growing up, I wanted to play inthe ACC. I grew up a North Carolina fan, so I ultimately wanted to play forCarolina.  Even coming here assomeone who grew up a Carolina fan, having an opportunity to play and beat Dukeis even sweeter because nobody from Carolina likes Duke. Beating schools likeDuke, Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest feels good. When I go back home,people are going to know I played for Miami and we had an opportunity to playand beat them.  They are all greatteams. They are all prestigious programs and it is a great opportunity to playagainst them.”

What was yourrecruitment like and how did you decide to attend Miami?

“It was actually pretty easy.  The process happened really fast. I actually did not take anofficial visit before I committed to come here. It was really the atmosphereand the team that drew me here and how it was a brotherhood. I am a veryfamily-oriented person, so having a family-type of environment was veryimportant to me.  Also, this is oneof the most beautiful places in the country. This is also one of the topacademic schools in the country and that is something that was important to me,as well.  Basketball aside, all ofthose things made it easy for me to come here. If you think about it, themajority of our time is spent off the court. I had to enjoy the environment,the educational experience and my teammates more than I enjoyed actually beingon the court playing basketball. That is something I was looking for in myexperience and I found it here.

How have youdeveloped under this coaching staff?

“I have developed a lot.  Coach L has talked to us a lot about keeping things simpleand trying to become very good at a couple of things rather than trying tobecome so hugely versatile. He wants to take a lot of decision out of your gameso you know exactly what you are going to do out on the court.  That makes it easier for you as aplayer because you have so many things running through your mind. You arealways thinking about what move do you want to do. Even in the off-season whenyou are working on stuff, there is a plethora of moves you can work on, but ifyou don’t master any one, you will just be an average player. But if you masterone or two things, you become a guy that knows ‘this is my go to move and thisis something you cannot stop no matter what you do.’ I think he has reallyhelped me out from a mental perspective, too. Even sitting out last year. I waskind of being a coach with them and seeing things from his perspective and thathas really helped me out.”

How hard was it tosit out last season?

“It was extremely difficult.  We went through a lot of adversity last year with guys beingsuspended or hurt.  Not being ableto go out there and help my teammates who I want to see succeed at the highestlevel was difficult. But at the same time, I think it made me better as aplayer. I think it made me look at the game from a different perspective. Italso taught me not to take things for granted, especially your health.Basketball can be taken away from you at any time and I don’t think that peoplerealize that until they have been through a catastrophic injury. Once you gothrough the pain, you know it is not something you want to go through again.”

Beyond basketball,what do you think of your time at Miami?

“My time here has been excellent.  Like I said, I love the environment, I love my teammates andI just love the educational experience I have had.  I have an opportunity to get a master’s degree in May andthat is something I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I could do. Evenbeing here for four years and earning a bachelor’s degree, that is expected,but you still cannot take that for granted because some people don’t haveone.  In this day and age with theway education is progressing, a bachelor’s degree is becoming more and morelike a high school degree because more and more people have it.  So having the opportunity be to here fora sixth year and get the opportunity to get my master’s degree and kind ofseparate myself from the crowd has really meant a lot to me.  I think having an opportunity to get mymaster’s degree and ultimately going to get it is my biggest accomplishment inlife, basketball included.”

What was it like tosee the students camp out and line up before the Duke game?

“I think that is what the college experience is about.  I think is a testament to our hard workand shows that that they have our backs, that they are standing with us and wehave their full support.  It issomething that feels really good. We love the support our fans, our students,our university have shown us and we definitely take a lot of pride in that.”

Do you think Miamibasketball will ever win a National Championship?

“Definitely. I think we have a great shot this year andoutside of this year, as well. In the future, they will have a great shot witha coach like Coach L. With the way he and his staff develop players and theirability to bring in the top recruits in the country, I think this will slowlybut surely turn into a basketball school.”

What does being aMiami Hurricane mean to you?

“It means a lot. It has become a dream come true for me.Even with all the adversity and everything that I have gone through, I wouldn’ttake it back because it has made me a stronger person. I think it has made mewiser and it helped me not take things for granted and just take advantage ofevery opportunity given to me.  Ijust hope that I can serve as an inspiration to anybody that hears my story>I want them to know that as long as you persevere and you are relentless inyour efforts, something good can come out of it.”