I didn't know him, but I studied and read quite a bit about him and if Mr Markotter said he was a good player, then he was. Mr Mark rated him as one of the best ever produced by Stellenbosch University.

I read that when Gideon was buried - he died at a very young age (he was a lecturer here at Stellenbosch) - the students formed a cordon through which the coffin was taken to the graveside. That gives an indication of his popularity and the esteem in which he was held. The students came out en masse to pay their respects as he was carried to the grave.