John Henry Gilchrist III, (born June 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a former Maryland Terrapins point guard.

College

Arriving in College Park for the 2002–03 season, Gilchrist had a freshman campaign as a backup to then-Terp guards Drew Nicholas and Steve Blake. Following Blake's graduation, Gilchrist inherited the starting point guard position as a sophomore, leading the team in assists (5.0 pg), scoring (15.4 pg), minutes (34.0 pg), and steals (1.8 pg), while starting 30 of 32 games. For his efforts, Gilchrist was named the Terps' Co-Player of the Year.

However, Gilchrist's true coming-out party would be the 2004 ACC Tournament. Having slipped to 7–9 in the ACC—the team's first sub-.500 conference record in more than a decade—Maryland was not as highly regarded as in years past and wound up as the tournament's 6th seed. However, the Terps ultimately upset the tournament's top three seeds, knocking off Wake Forest (3), NC State (2), and Duke (1), to win their first ACC Tournament title in 20 years.

During this run, Gilchrist dazzled as the Terps' primary offensive option. First, Gilchrist hit the game-winning free throw against a Chris Paul-led Wake Forest team, scoring 16 points and shooting 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Next, Gilchrist led a 21-point comeback against the NC State Wolfpack, scoring 23 of his 30 points after halftime (and shooting 9-for-9 from the field); the 30-point performance was the first for a Terp since Juan Dixon scored 33 points against the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2002 NCAA Final Four.

But Gilchrist was saving his best for last. In the tournament final against Duke—a team bound for the 2004 Final Four and loaded with six future NBA players—Gilchrist led the Terps back from a 12-point deficit with less than five minutes left in the game. Most dramatically, Gilchrist closed the 2nd half with a driving layup that drew a fifth and final foul on Shelden Williams, Duke's best low-post presence and Gilchrist's main competition for tournament MVP. Gilchrist's ensuing foul shot would tie the game at 77 with 20 seconds left, and Maryland went on to dominate the overtime and secure a 95–87 victory. For his three-day heroics, Gilchrist was unanimously named tournament MVP. The win also snapped Duke's drive for a sixth consecutive ACC Tournament title, while propelling Maryland into the 2004 NCAA tournament; though the Terps ultimately lost by a few points to Syracuse in the second round, the team was seen as an up-and-coming squad that had overachieved, despite its youth.

However, Gilchrist's career at Maryland—and fans' and NBA scouts' glowing opinion of him—would never reach these heights again. Led by their junior point guard, the Terps entered the 2004–2005 season ranked in the top 15 in the nation, but would succumb to road struggles and a late season collapse to again finish 7–9 in the conference. Nor could the team summon 2004's magic in the 2005 ACC Tournament; the Terps lost in the first round to Clemson, the third time the Tigers defeated the Terps that year. With a middling 16–12 record, Maryland missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 13 years and accepted a consolation trip to the NIT, where they lost in the semifinals to South Carolina.

Professional

Despite having the physical tools (6 ft 3 in 194 lb.) of a solid NBA point guard and skills and athleticism that drew comparisons to an early Stephon Marbury, Gilchrist went undrafted, as most felt his mental maturity lagged far behind his physical maturity. He was invited to play in the Cleveland Cavaliers' summer league, but was not picked up by the team.

References

External links

• 2011–2012 Eurobasket Kosovo All League Team
• Official website
• French League profile
• Hungarian League profile
• Maryland's win over Duke in 2004 ACC Tournament final
• UMTerps.com bio.
• Access Athletes Athlete Chat: John Gilchrist, Three-Part Interview