The first time Gonzaga contacted Admon Gilder, he knew he could be headed to a special place.
"My first reaction was like, 'Whoa, that’s a winning program there. Now that’s a program.'"
Losing is not in Gilder’s vocabulary.
The good news? It’s not in Gonzaga’s either.
"Their pitch was being able to be a part of a program where we’ve been able to win at all different levels," said Gilder. "That’s what I’m all about. I hate to lose. I hate to lose."
That, along with a plethora of other reasons, is why the grad transfer committed so quickly to Gonzaga after visiting campus.
"I felt like it was a place to be. I felt like within a year’s span where can I go somewhere where I can win, where can I go somewhere and develop as a player, where can I go somewhere where I can always look back and say, 'Man I had a great last year of college basketball.' This is my last go around and I want it to be perfect."
His last go around will include him playing both the point and shooting guard positions for Gonzaga.
Point guard is a position he hasn’t played as much in college, but that doesn’t matter as much to him. There’s only one thing that does.
"I’m the type of guy where I do what’s best for the team. Whatever help us to win, that’s what I’m all about. Whether that’s me playing point guard, whether it’s playing shooting guard, whether it’s me playing center," Gilder said with a chuckle. "That’s the type of person I am. I just do every little thing that it does to take to win because at the end of the day, regardless of position, it’s all about winning. If you aren’t winning, then no one’s happy."
At one point in the last year though, there was a question of if Admon would get to experience winning on the court again. That was due to a blood clot in his bicep that held him out all last season.
He could be bitter about the situation. He’s not.
"It’s been a blessing. To be able to know that God breaks us to bless us. I’m a living testimony of that. All you gotta do is keep your hands in god's hands and everything will be fine. Never give up on god because god has a plan. This is just showing all the things I’ve been able to prosper from."
Now, he’s ready to prosper in Spokane.
"I’m very excited because it starts a new journey in my life. Lot of people don’t get the opportunity to get another opportunity. To know that I get the opportunity, and to know that my story ends in Spokane, I’m just thrilled to get there and get working with the guys, get acclimated. See everything that I’ve been hearing so much about Gonzaga."