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04/20/2017 12:00 AMGianni Lavorgna went out on a high note as an athlete at North Branford High School. Last fall, Gianni led the T-Birds’ boys’ soccer team to its most successful season in years as a senior captain. Gianni then joined North Branford boys’ hoops this winter and was a co-recipient of the Thunderbirds’ Desire and Dedication Award, while helping them collect a dozen victories.
Gianni expresses great gratitude to boys’ basketball Head Coach Dave Parness for helping him enjoy his one season with the club.
“Being able to step on a court and have a successful coach guide me to a starting role, I want to thank him for all he’s done making me comfortable in our playing style,” says Gianni. “I’m also thankful for letting me play a great sport and ending my high school career on a bang.”
Gianni went to Xavier as a freshman and was a member of the soccer team, but he didn’t play basketball for the Falcons. When he came to North Branford High School as a sophomore, Gianni embarked on a three-year soccer career and then decided that he wanted to suit up for the basketball team as a senior.
“It was good [playing at Xavier] because it gave me a view of how good players in high school are. We won the [SCC] championship, so it gave me something to look up to, and I brought that with me when I came back to North Branford,” Gianni says. “I talked about playing basketball my sophomore and junior year, but I didn’t, and just decided to go out my senior year. I wish I ended up playing those two years.”
Gianni patrolled the midfield throughout his high school soccer career. The position fits his level of fitness as Gianni enjoys running all around the pitch.
“When I was younger, I used to play forward, but I used to also run back to help the defense, which my coaches didn’t like,” he says. “I just thought it would be easier for me to play in the midfield, so I could do both. It fit me perfectly.”
Something else that proved a perfect fit for Gianni was his role as a senior captain with the Thunderbirds’ soccer squad.
“I was very honored. I was able to help my teammates and it felt good to be a leader. I’d like to think I made everyone closer and the team was better,” says Gianni. “It made me become a great leader and a better person. You have to work with people to achieve your goal.”
Gianni participated in fall and summer leagues to prepare for his time on the North Branford basketball court. As a result, Coach Parness was already familiar with what his guard could do on the floor.
“He played summer and fall league, so I was able to see him in a little bit of action. I could see he was a guy that could hit an open shot, and I could tell he had played other sports because he was athletic. He was an outside shooter, which I felt was important to have, so we thought he’d be a great guy on the team,” says Parness. “Minutes opened up for him for one reason or another and he averaged about 10 points per game, which was huge for us. We don’t get to states or win a game in states without him. I’m curious what his ceiling would be if we had more time with him.”
Gianni needed a little time to get acquainted with the varsity basketball game. However, Gianni was a fast learner, had a solid start to his season, and continued to get better as the campaign wore on.
“My first half of the year was getting a feel for high school basketball. I was behind, so I watched a lot of film, asked coach a lot of questions, and would go over plays all the time. It made me understand the team better and it eventually all flowed,” Gianni says. “In the second half of the year, I hit more shots, played better defense, and we were winning. When you win, everything flows and works better.”