Santa Barbara High School has produced premier athletes who have gone on to be major college players, Olympic stars, and professional standouts. The legend that is Craig Gilbert is often discussed as one of those athletes who stood with the greatest that the Dons ever produced. Born with the God-given talent to play any sport he wanted, “Craigy,” as he was affectionately called by childhood friends, chose basketball. One of the best in the history of Santa Barbara, he played the game with grace and supernatural talent.
Craig was a star at Santa Barbara High in the mid ’70s. In his senior season, the top-ranked Dons went 23-2, losing in the exclusive CIF 4A playoffs to Palos Verdes, which started center Bill Laimbeer, who went on to fame with the Detroit Pistons.
Craig was an NBA prospect, playing at Santa Barbara City College and Oxnard College before he fell victim to a recruitment scam by two coaches at the University of New Mexico. Slated to be celebrated as the school’s starting point guard in 1979, Craig’s dejected face ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Craig was shafted by the coaches’ transcript forgeries. The national scandal killed his basketball career and was a personal blow for Craig that was felt deeply by his family, his friends, and the neighborhood kids who admired him as a local celebrity long before he left for New Mexico.