Player for all seasons
Cascade’s Carly Gibbs could play four sports this school year
By Mike Beas
One of the things making Cascade girls basketball successful is a statistical balance that basically rules out any chance of double-teaming by opponents.
Senior Carly Gibbs, who, like most of her teammates enjoys the occasional double-digit number in the final boxscore, wouldn’t have it any other way.
Carly Gibbs looks to pass in a Jan. 22 game against Danville. (Photo by Rick Myers)
“I prefer that offense because it gets everyone involved, and you’re not just relying on one person,” said Gibbs, a 5-foot-9-inch forward in her third season as a fixture in the Cadets’ starting lineup. “The first 30 minutes of every practice is ball handling and shooting.”
This gives fifth-year coach Dave Carpenter options whether the opponent applies full court defensive pressure or in the half court sets up in a zone or man-to-man look.
Carpenter, a Cascade boys assistant for two seasons prior to taking the girls job in 2015, incorporates an offense geared to ensure contributions from as many players as possible during a game.
No Cascade player sports a double-digit scoring average. However, seven Cadets average between 5.1 and 9.1 points a contest for a squad that sported a record of 11-8 after a 45-31 loss at Danville Jan. 22.
“We play a really open system. We don’t emphasize one player, and Carly does a good job because she used to play point guard, but she kept growing, so we made her a forward,” said Carpenter, whose first three seasons netted double-digit win totals before last winter’s 4-18 mark. “I’ve just always believed everybody handles the ball and everyone shoots the ball.
“We try to get everyone involved, and Carly is sort of the perfect person to put in the middle of all that. She’s just a very well-rounded player.”
As a junior, Gibbs ended the season as Cascade’s top scorer (10.5), while also leading the squad in steals (1.9) and finishing second in made 3-pointers (14) and third in rebounds (5.5).
Owner of a 3.3 grade-point average, Gibbs could be on pace to graduate with 10 varsity athletic letters should she decide to pull double-duty this spring. In the past she’s either played softball as a third baseman/outfielder or participated in track and field as a high jumper and shot put specialist.
However, it’s basketball, a sport Gibbs started in the third-grade, that she’s most passionate about.
“I was super shy about it at first, but once I started playing basketball, I loved it,” said Gibbs, who has also been part of the Cascade volleyball program in the fall and led the Cadets in kills with 191 this past season. “My favorite part is the team chemistry.
“Right now, we’re playing well as a team, and my main goal is that we keep doing that and keep our chemistry going in a positive direction the way it is now.”
