Lake Norman's Argia Gibson goes from unknown to top scorer

Argia Gibson was a virtual unknown when she first stepped on the Lake Norman High campus last year.

After being homeschooled and playing basketball for Mooresville Christian since eighth grade, Gibson didn’t make the final decision to enroll at Lake Norman for her junior year until two weeks before school began.

While some student-athletes would be intimidated by the change, Gibson says it didn’t faze her.

“I really didn’t have time to get nervous about going to Lake Norman because I signed up so late,” the 17-year-old said. “Before I knew it, we had started. Then, playing basketball and track got me even more involved.”

Gibson immediately fit into the Wildcat girls’ basketball team, bringing her prolific shooting touch, which allowed her to average 25 points per game in her freshman and sophomore seasons at Mooresville Christian.

At Lake Norman, Gibson earned the starting shooting guard role on a talented team and averaging 12 points per game as a junior.

In her first track season, Gibson was the 4A West Regional runner-up in both the long and triple jumps. She also finished in the top 14 in the state in both events.

“Everyone on the basketball and track team really accepted me right away like family, even after I sort of came out of nowhere,” Gibson said. “I think the teams really helped me feel comfortable.”

Fast forward to her senior season, and the 5-foot-9 Gibson has remained in her comfort zone. She is leading the team at 13 points per game.

Gibson has been a consistent scoring force for the Wildcats (8-7, 2-5 in the I-Meck 4A). She scored 15 points in a critical win over Mooresville and 17 in back-to-back games against Vance and West Charlotte. Gibson also helped Lake Norman win the Record & Landmark Holiday Classic while making the all-tournament team.

Gibson also is competing for the Lake Norman indoor track team and set personal records in the long jump and 55-meter dash earlier this month.

While things may have seemed to come easy so far, Wildcats’ basketball coach Richard Tinucci said Gibson has come a long way since she got to Lake Norman.

“Argia was a great athlete when she got here, maybe one of the most athletic girls I’ve ever coached,” he said. “But she had to step up her game to a higher level.”

Gibson is not the team’s top-scoring option, having the ability to play point guard or either wing and drawing the defensive assignment from the opposing team’s best player.

Gibson is getting by defenders on the basketball court and past opposing runners and jumpers on the track because of attention to detailed footwork.

“Coach taught me that your first step needs to be long and low,” Gibson said. “It doesn’t really matter how quick or fast you are. If you don’t have good technique, it won’t work.”

Gibson is now concentrating her efforts on trying to help the Wildcat make a run into the postseason after missing the playoffs last year.

She has a lot of support from a Wildcat unit that goes 10-11 players deep. That starts with classmate Shannon Gallagher and juniors Nicole Marshall, Maddie Riley and Rachel Valocchi.

“We’ve been in every game in conference other than Hough,” Tinucci said. “I feel like we’re getting comfortable with our roles and we are right there, ready to make a run. But we have to be able to finish games.”

While Gibson looks to help her team close out games, she is also looking to close out her high school career in style by proving that she has what it takes to compete in college.

Gibson, who aims to be a physical therapist, has interest in both basketball (Armstrong Atlantic) and track (High Point), but is still trying to figure out exactly what she wants to do.

“I’m still debating on exactly what I will do in college,” Gibson said. “I would love to play basketball and/or run track, but I want to do what is best for my future.”