After being a member of the varsity girls’ soccer team during the 2021-2022 season, Gabrielle Gerrodette has mixed it up to become a very valuable player on the girls’ varsity basketball team.
Gerrodette is a junior and has played soccer all her life before playing basketball in middle school. But she quit basketball to focus on soccer. As a freshman in the 2020 – 2021 school year, the interruption from the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her to play both basketball and soccer. However, when school returned to normal for the school year of 2021-2022, she could no longer play both sports. She chose soccer and played on the varsity team. This year she is playing point guard for varsity basketball and her coach says she is the best player on the team.
“Our team has dealt with illnesses and injuries that have hit the team at different points during the season,” varsity head coach Jason Llantero said. “Once we heard that Gabby was coming in, it was like, alright, we got a point guard, a guard that can help set the table. We were looking at other players being the focal point of our offense, and with injuries, Gaby [was] able to step up. There’s no question in our mind that Gabby is our best player now.”
Gerrodette’s brother, who goes to Woodside Priory High School and plays basketball there, inspired her to try the sport. After trying both soccer and basketball, she wanted a change from soccer this year.
“I like the environment,” Gerrodette said. “All the girls are really fun and I like the coach.”
Being a soccer player before playing basketball has changed the way she plays the game. Gerrodette’s soccer experience allows her to better predict plays on the court before they happen.
“Her ability to connect the dots, especially when we’re playing on offense, [is very helpful to the team],” coach Llantero said. “She’s able to predict things happening on the basketball court, much like a soccer player would on the soccer fieldIt’s been incredible just to have that, as part of our team. She can act as the glue of our team when things get out of sorts during the basketball game where it’s hectic and very fast-paced.”
After high school, Gerrodette is planning to play a sport in college. However, she is not yet sure which sport she’ll play.
“A lot of my life I have been planning to play soccer in college, so we’ll see,” Gerrodette said. “It would be fun to play a sport in college.”
