by By Jason Groves Sun-News reporter , Las Cruces Sun-News

Now it's Gibson who will be providing senior leadership at NMSU. After putting his name in the NBA early entry pool last month, Gibson said Monday he will return for his senior year at New Mexico State, keeping what promises to be the most talented backcourt in the Western Athletic Conference intact.

"This summer is my last summer as a college athlete, which sounds weird because it went by really fast," said Gibson, who was 10th in the WAC with 14.1 points per game as junior last season. "I'm working twice as hard this summer because I want to make the most of it."

Gibson and other college players who declared early entry for the June 25 NBA Draft had until Monday to withdraw their names. Gibson said he faxed his paperwork to the league on Monday afternoon.

Gibson is currently in Los Angeles working out and he will play in the SayNo Classic Summer League, just as he did last summer. He returns to Las Cruces for the second summer session, which begins July 6.

While he wasn't able to schedule an NBA workout, Gibson said he received a lot of feedback regarding things he needs to work on this summer and next season.

Gibson said defense is his main focus this summer from a basketball standpoint. There are also intangibles that he hopes to improve on.

"I think I need to show more leadership because that is one thing I didn't do too much last year," Gibson said.

Gibson's numbers also dipped slightly his junior season, as he was a 39-percent shooter from 3-point range after shooting 42 percent as a sophomore.

NMSU's run to the WAC tournament semifinals, however, showed Aggies fans what he was capable of.

Gibson was 17-of-29 (59 percent) from 3-point range in the Aggies' last four games of the season, shooting 9-of-16 (56 percent) in two WAC tournament games.

"Last year I wasn't as consistent and I let my teammates down in certain situations and games, and developing more consistency starts now this summer so I can carry it through to conditioning and next season," Gibson said.

As the only senior on the 2009-10 Aggies' roster, Gibson and junior guard Jahmar Young return as the most experienced players on the court.

Taking advantage of senior leadership helped Gibson to where he is today.

"Former players like Elijah Ingram, Justin Hawkins, Fred Peete and Martin Iti helped me out, so it's my turn to return the favor," said Gibson, who is three semesters away from earning his degree in business. "Young guys need someone to learn the ropes from in certain situations and I'm going into my fourth year, so I've been through a lot."

With Gibson's return now official, Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies has a deep backcourt and some experienced key players after an up-and-down 17-15 season with a group of underclassmen last year who played major minutes.

"Having him back is obviously a big plus based on the experience factor," Menzies said. "Guys go through different trials and tribulations in a college career and he has had some ups and downs."

After asking for his release, Chris Gabriel's future with the Aggies is still a question mark.

Menzies said the sophomore center was "still weighing his options," while in California.

Jason Groves can be reached at jgroves@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5459

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