Matt Gilhool says recruitment is ‘wide open’ as coaching changes abound in college basketball

Penn Charter’s Matt Gilhool had a few curveballs thrown at him this spring.

Two of the junior forward’s top three college programs made changes to their coaching staffs. That led him to reset on his recruitment, Gilhool said, as he enters his final high school basketball season.

“I’m thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’” said Gilhool, a four-star recruit. “But I’m going to believe in myself. … I’m definitely not worried. I’ll hopefully have a good spring and summer, and I think I should be OK.”

The 6-foot-10 Gilhool, from Elizabethtown, reclassified last summer to the class of 2025 and transferred to Penn Charter from Westtown School. He previously played AAU ball under Penn Charter coach Brandon Williams for Philly Pride.

The move proved to be worthwhile as Gilhool, who is ranked No. 3 in the state by 247Sports, won the Inter-Ac’s MVP award and helped the Quakers to their first outright league championship since 2004.

“It was good. I think we finished off really well,” Gilhool said. “The transition was good. Definitely was easy coming from another private school like Westtown, knowing the work and knowing how it’s going to be made it easy.”

Gilhool has piled up scholarship offers throughout his high school career. Penn State, Syracuse, and Washington, he said, were his top three options until recently. His lead recruiter at Syracuse, Gerry McNamara, left to become the head coach at Siena, while Washington fired head coach Mike Hopkins in March.

He has talked to Alabama and Iowa the most lately. He hasn’t been offered a scholarship from the Crimson Tide, but Gilhool said he’s hoping to receive one soon.

“It’s wide open,” he said.

» READ MORE: Cardinal O’Hara graduate Izaiah Pasha finds ‘happy ending’ with commitment to Delaware

Gilhool should have plenty of opportunity to play his way onto the radar for other coaches this summer.

He will compete on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit on Team Final’s 17U team alongside Penn Charter teammate Jake West, former Westtown teammate Jayden Forsythe, and other high-profile recruits like Jerry Easter (La Lumiere School in Indiana) and Nas Hart (College Achieve in New Jersey).

“I’m excited to see what Nike has to offer,” Gilhool said. “Seeing a faster pace, quicker, with 24 seconds on the shot clock.

“I’ve been working on my shot a lot. That’s been coming together, and if I can shoot at a higher clip this summer, it should be good.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.