October 23, 2025

Gibby at the Cathedral: Sophia Gibson Brings Kentucky Grit to Yale Basketball

By Anthony Price 

Freshman Sophia "Gibby" Gibson poses for a photograph. Photo: Anthony Price

​It’s noon in October at Yale University, and the bright colored leaves and warm sunlight complement the Payne Whitney Gymnasium architecture: It’s depicting New England better than any tourism brochure could. 
 
The gymnasium is a massive structure with over twelve acres of space inside. Yet, it is disguised in plain sight. It’s a paradox. 

To find it, scan New Haven’s urban landscape for a 9.5-story Gothic Revival-style edifice built in 1931. Nicknamed “the cathedral of sweat,”  it’s an imposing monument to athletics—ironically fitting for an Ivy League school where sports trail well behind academic pursuits in prominence.
 
Inside, the lobby is dark, cold and carved out of stone—a warning not to take sports too seriously at this academic beacon. It leads to the John J. Lee Amphitheater, where the women’s basketball team plays its home games. 

Language Practice 
 
Sophia Gibson is ready for basketball practice, but she won’t be on the court sweating it out with her teammates today. Nonetheless, she is wearing a smile as if it is part of her uniform. “I definitely think I’m high energy and bubbly, which people tend to say,” she chuckles. 
 
Laughter pours out as she talks with her teammate, junior Ana Guillen, who is from Badalona, Spain. After being prodded by this writer, they have an impromptu conversation in Spanish. Gibson’s Spanish is rusty, and she struggles to keep up. The language was helpful for the team this summer when they traveled to France and Spain to play basketball and build chemistry. 
 
“Don’t do this to me,” she implores Guillen. “I took four years of Spanish—[I’m] not any good at it.” The torture ends when practice starts. 
 
The six-five Gibson is on an exercise bike, in a corner near the entrance to the gym. She slowly turns the pedals with a solemn look as if serving a punishment. 
 
This is not how Gibson wanted to start her freshman year. But an unexpected medical condition forced her hand. She will have surgery next week and hopes to be back on the court soon. 

I definitely think I’m high energy and bubbly, which people tend to say.

Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Photo: Anthony Price.

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‘Gibby’ 
 
“Everybody calls me Gibby,” she says with a laugh. Her father was Gibby in high school, according to her. Then, people began to call her Gibby in high school. The name has followed her 735 miles east to Yale. 

​“And now, nobody knows my name is Sophia,” she says. The sound of bouncing balls and giddy chatter can’t contain her laughter. 
 
Gibson’s father is 6-8 and her mother is 5-10. He played two years of football at Kentucky and then, after an injury, transferred and played basketball at Northern Kentucky University. He passed his love of basketball down to her, Gibson says. 
 
Her brother, Sam, is a 7-footer who played D2 basketball. They used to be “workout buddies, all the time,” Gibson says. That’s how she got used to shooting over someone taller than her. “We’ve always been big competitors,” she adds. 
 
Gibson is a throwback to when centers ruled the game, like Lisa Leslie and Bill Russell in their prime—and A’ja Wilson now. She is determined to make her play from the post position stand out. 

I love being a post player, and I want to continue doing that.

​“I love being a post player, and I want to continue doing that,” Gibson says. She feels the game of basketball has lost a true inside presence—especially with most teams launching three-pointers at record numbers. She wants to bring it back. 
 
“Honestly, I love being inside, and that’s what I’m passionate about,” Gibson says. She’s comfortable in her skin. She has a soothing presence with big, green eyes. 
 
The biggest difference from high school basketball to college has been the long practices, which Gibson estimates as 3 hours a day. Add time in the weight room and individual workouts, and it’s a long day. 
 
“Gibby has an incredible personality. She’s a lot of fun to be around,“ Coach Dalila Eshe says. “She’s a true center at the end of the day. She doesn’t have a huge desire to stretch it out and shoot the three.”
 
“And she’s very physical,” Eshe adds. “She gets in there, and she doesn’t mind throwing her body around and going to get rebounds, and she plays really well with her back to the basket.” 

Coach Dalila Eshe watches practice. Photo: Anthony Price.

The Bulldogs have seven new players from a team that was 4-23 last season. Over the past three seasons, under Eshe, the team is 25-56. 
 
This is a big year for the team. You can feel the anticipation swirling in the air. “I’m just looking forward to getting our team out on the court and starting a new beginning,” Eshe says, before practice on Friday. She has wiped the slate clean. 
 
As for Gibson, her goal is simple: “I just want to work on my skills and abilities, and grow, not only as a person this year but as a player.” 

Home on Her Mind 
 
Gibson grew up in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, about 13 miles south of Cincinnati. She was the team captain at Notre Dame Academy, where she scored 1,000 points. 
 
In high school, Gibson played soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track (discus).
 
“Cincinnati is my home, and I miss it,“ she says. She doesn’t hide her pride in the city. 
 
“Honestly, I watch a lot of football on my off day on Sunday. Big Bengals fan! I’m just anything Cincinnati. Reds, I’m there.” Her only disappointment about Cincinnati is that there is no professional basketball team in the city. “I think every state should be a basketball state, honestly,” she says.
 
Gibson’s roommate is from Minnesota and is a violinist in the Yale Orchestra.  Two Midwestern girls who can help each other adjust to New Haven. She’s excited for the Harvard-Yale football game.

I really, really love animals. “They’re honestly the best thing on planet earth.

Sophia "Gibby" Gibson rides an exercise bike at practice. Photo: Anthony Price.

When not playing basketball, she loves watching volleyball and women’s ice hockey at Yale. 
 
There’s a softer side to Gibson, away from physical play in the paint. 
 
“I really, really love animals. “They’re honestly the best thing on planet earth.” She has a Boston terrier named Winnie. “She’s so bad, but I love her anyway,” she says. “I Facetime my dad every night to see my girl.” 
 
Gibson gives of herself. In high school, she worked with children with disabilities as a service project. “I want[ed] to challenge myself in a different kind of way, and I learned so much from these kids.” 

Optimized for Academics
 
Yale attracts a certain type of student-athlete. 
 
Gibson had a 4.2 in high school, so the university satisfies her intellectual cravings. She attributes her success in the classroom to being organized. 
 
Gibson registered at the last minute for a senior-level philosophy course this semester. “It is challenging, but I absolutely love it,” she says.  In addition, she is taking an American Sign Language class. Some of her teammates have taken the course. 

“It’s all about timing,” Gibson adds. “I have my days planned down to the minute.” She gets up before 6:00 a.m. daily. “Waking up early has helped me a lot. It’s all about time management, but also making time for yourself.” 
 
“Waking up early is tough, and we have 7:00 a.m. practice some days. But honestly, you get used to it. I never used to be a morning person. But now I am.”
 
As a busy freshman, she still finds time to unwind. “This team is where I find so much joy.” And chatting in the locker room clears her mind. 
 
The cathedral of sweat may have to wait a little longer, but when Gibson steps onto the court, the echoes will follow.

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Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Jump Ball Journal is basketball beyond the score.