Gilbert Tiger Basketball

		Nick LaMancusa Nick, a senior, is entering his second year on varsity and he has earned the Captain’s responsibility this season! Nick was the starting point guard last year on a team that went to the semi-finals. Nick has worked on his game as much, if not more than anyone else in the program. His outside shot is improved and maybe his biggest improvement is his physical conditioning. Nick has shown the ability to get to the rim both off the bounce and by attacking the boards. Towards the end of last season Nick became one of better defenders and the coaches are really looking for Nick to be able to guard some of the other team’s best players night in and night out. Nick leads by example both on and off the court and in the classroom. Not only has Nick represented our basketball program, but has been a great model for our younger players coming up.

		Caden Towt This is Caden’s third year on varsity and he has been selected a Captain for our Tigers this year. Caden may be one of the toughest and hard-working players that have come through our program. Caden earned a starting position last year and rarely came off the court. He was assigned the other team’s best player every game and did a remarkable job defending them. This year the coaching staff is looking for Caden to not only be one of our primary defenders, but to also contribute much more on the offensive end by scoring and facilitating our offense. Offensively, Caden has improved his outside shot and has shown the ability to attack the paint off the dribble. Caden is also excellent in the classroom and a great leader on our campus.

		Stevie Newendyke This is Stevie’s second year on varsity and he has earned one of our three Captain’s for this season. Unfortunately, Stevie had a bit of a set-back this year with an injury to his knee and will be sidelined for a while. Stevie is one of the better shooters that the Tigers have seen in a long time. Stevie has a quick release and has deep range on his shot. Besides his ability to shoot and score, Stevie has impressive basketball IQ. He plays extremely calm under pressure and in big games the coaches want the ball in his hands down the stretch. Hopefully Stevie can recover quickly as the Tigers will miss his abilities on the court, but more importantly this being his senior year and the fact he’s been playing with his teammates for such a long time. The coaching staff is eager to get him back healthy and excited to see him help the Tigers succeed.

		CJ Waters This is CJ’s second season with the Tigers. Last year CJ earned a starting position about a month into the season and did a tremendous job for us defensively, on the glass and scoring around the basket. CJ has worked to improve his offensive game out to the perimeter. This year the Tigers will need CJ’s presence defensively in the paint, rebounding and scoring. With CJ’s athleticism we see CJ leading the Tigers in free-throw attempts, rebounding and blocked shots. CJ is going to have to a good job of defending without fouling as the Tigers do not have a lot of size this year. CJ is a tremendous student in the classroom and has grown to be an infectious leader within our program as he empowers are younger players to become better.

		Matt Hogan Matt, a senior, is entering his second season as a varsity player. Matt has continuously improved each year and has earned the coaches’ trust with his work ethic and leadership. Matt is a quiet kid and one who leads mainly by example, but has recently stepped up vocally with encouraging and motivating his teammates, especially the younger players. The coaching staff is excited to have Matt help lead the Tigers both on and off the court this season and be a factor for any success the Tigers have this season.

		Kaleb Hoyum Kaleb, a senior, split time between the varsity and junior varsity last season. Without question Kaleb has improved just as much, if not more than any other Tiger in our program. Kaleb has worked persistently on his physical conditioning and has improved his outside shot well past the three point line. When Kaleb starts to get hot at times a three is like a layup for him. What Kaleb lacks in athleticism, he more than makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and team work. The coaches are looking forward to Kaleb’s progression this season and leadership on the team.

		Kyle Isaacson Kyle, a senior, split time between the junior varsity and varsity programs last season. On the court Kyle has developed one of the, if not the best pull up jumper on the team. It’s quick and he gets great lift off the floor on his jumper. Also, when determined, Kyle can be an effective player on both sides of the ball with his sneaky athleticism. Off the court Kyle is excellent in the classroom, hard-working and a great teammate and will have a big effect on our team’s success.

		Dylan Roach Dylan, a senior, is entering his second season as a varsity player. Last year, Dylan was in the rotation early on in the season for the Tigers and this year we expect Dylan to be a major part of our rotation. Dylan has worked hard on his physical conditioning and has developed into a strong and athletic wing that has shown the ability to guard bigger guys in and around the paint too. Dylan could be a mismatch at times for the opposition. Offensively, Dylan can shoot the ball with ease out past the three point line and plays best in an open court game while relying on his natural basketball instincts.

		Tyler LaGanke Tyler last year split time between the varsity and junior varsity as a sophomore. Tyler is coming off his junior season with football and has shown the ability to contribute in the early parts of this basketball season. He’s a strong guard that doesn’t mind physical play and does a nice job playing through contact. Tyler understands his role well and will be asked to be a playmaker for the Tigers and take care of some of the ball handling duties. Tyler has also shown to be a good defender and executes our defensive schemes well. Look for Tyler to give the Tigers some steadiness while on the court.

		Trajon Hawkins Trajon, a junior, is starting his second season as a varsity player and in fact, last year as a sophomore Trajon earned a starting position in the early parts of the season. Trajon is a bit of a Swiss Army knife as he has the tools to do a little bit of everything. Trajon is a motivating and vocal leader on our team and around our campus. On the court, Trajon has one of the best motors on the team and is a total ball hawk. Trajon may only be 5’ 10, but he plays like he’s 6’ 10. Offensively, Trajon can score on all three levels by attacking the basket, hitting outside shots and getting to the free-throw line. The coaching staff is expecting Trajon to be a stat stuffer in many categories this season and be a major contributor to our team success.

		Noah “Doc” Self Doc, a sophomore, is entering his first season as a varsity player. Doc will be handling some of the point guard duties for the Tigers this season. Doc is very good ball handler, passer and sublimates those skills with his athleticism and speed. He moves effortlessly on the court. Besides Doc’s playmaking abilities, he is one of the Tiger’s best shooters on our team and has shown the ability to score in multiple ways. Doc is an excellent student in the classroom, leader on our campus and teammate. The coaching staff is excited to see Doc’s progress over the next three seasons.

		Jacquez Barrow Jacquez, a sophomore, is just coming off a varsity football season. He is a very good athlete and the coaching staff is expecting him to be able to provide the Tigers some toughness around the basket, especially with rebounding. Jacquez could be a bit of a mismatch for opponents with his ability to score around the basket while stretching the defense to the perimeter too. Jacquez is a quiet kid on and off the court and the coaching staff is excited to see how he progresses through our program.

		DJ Hawkins DJ, a sophomore, will be splitting time between the varsity and junior varsity teams this season. DJ has the ability to shoot from the outside and affect the game by rebounding and scoring in and around the paint. DJ is a quiet kid on and off the court and loves playing the game of basketball and will develop into an outstanding player for the Tigers. The coaching staff is very excited to see DJ’s progress over the next three years.

		Carson Towt Carson, a sophomore, will be splitting time between the varsity and junior varsity this year. Carson is a very mentally tough kid on and off the court and one of his best skills as a basketball player is his shot as it is effortless with range well past the three point line. The coaching staff is very encouraged by Carson’s development and excited to see him helping the program’s success over the next three years.

		Connor Nesselrote Connor, a sophomore, will be splitting time between the varsity and junior varsity this year. Connor is a strong guard and his outside shot has improved a lot over the last year. Connor is also a very determined and competitive player, which all coaches love. Connor is very mature and represents our school well and the coaching staff is excited to see Connor’s progress over the next three years.


.	2016-17 PLAYER PROFILES	.