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June 14, 2017
One of the area’s top outgoing senior basketball players is getting closer to making his collegiate decision.
Terrebonne standout Davaughn “Deedy” Gauno told The Times this week that he has several visits scheduled over the next few weeks and after that, he’s going to decide what school he will call home to start his collegiate career.
Gauno, a 5-foot, 10-inch, 160-pound guard, was a multi-year starter for the Tigers – arguably one of the top guards in school history. He has an innate ability to score the basketball, eclipsing the 1,000 point barrier for his prep career while earning All-District honors multiple times.
Gauno said he’s likely to go to a junior college before hopefully heading to a Division I program to finish his career.
“I have interest in Angelina in Texas, Daytona State, Howard, Northwest Kansas and Jones Country, among others,” Gauno said. “I’m grateful for everyone that’s been interested and now, I’m just focused on making my visits.”
Gauno believes he’s an undiscovered diamond in the rough – a player more than capable of playing the highest levels of college basketball.
He has a point.
With the Tigers, Gauno was a force – seeing playing time for the team since his underclassman years.
As a junior, Gauno broke out and became a household name locally, powering the Tigers offense with several 20, 30 and even a few 40-point games.
This past season, it was more of the same. Gauno averaged more than 20 points per game last season while helping lead the Tigers to the second round of Class 5A State Playoffs.
During Terrebonne’s run, the Tigers won more than 20 games while also beating some of the top programs in the state throughout the season.
The team pushed Chalmette for a half in the playoffs but were overmatched by their length in the playoff defeat.
Gauno had 26 points in the game, despite missing several minutes because of some early fouls.
“He’s a playmaker,” former Terrebonne coach Derek Szush said during last season while still the Tigers’ coach. “He makes things happen. He can score in bunches and he really gets all of the guys going. And I think more important than all of those things, he’s just a really good kid. He works hard and he wants to see our team and his teammates do well.”
Gauno said his time at Terrebonne was special – a period in his life he will never forget. He said he wanted to thank Szush, all of his teammates and the student body for giving him motivation and inspiration to continue pushing throughout his career.
“Being a Terrebonne Tiger was great,” Gauno said. “I wouldn’t change it for anything in this world, man. My teammates were great, as well as the coaching staff. I’ll truly miss those days. I’ll miss wearing that jersey and playing in the home gym.”
But now, Gauno said he’s moving his thoughts and attention to the next level.
Gauno said over the past several months, he’s sent his tape to several colleges and universities around the country in hopes of generating some interest.
He said Szush and others put in good words for him to college coaches, as well.
But surprisingly there hasn’t been a ton of bites at the Division-I level, which Gauno said really fuels his fire and makes him hungry to try and roar at the next level.
Gauno said he’s spent the past several weeks since the 2016-17 season working out – both on the court and also in the gym.
Each day, he said he envisions silencing his doubters and proving the naysayers wrong.
“I’ve mostly been in the weight room this summer – trying to get stronger,” Gauno said. “But when I do get in the gym, I mostly work on my transition moves like pull ups and floaters. I just want to keep better. I want to become the best player that I can be.”
Gauno said he’s working to set his visit schedule in the coming days and his plans are to make a final decision by the end of June.
When asked if there was a certain message he’d like to deliver to college coaches, Gauno said simply that whoever signs him is going to get someone who treats every, single game and practice like it’s his last – a young man who truly loves everything about the game of basketball.
“I’d let them all know that I’m going to be the same player that I’ve always been – a hard working gym rat,” Gauno said. “I’d also say that I am just a player who wants to be better in every way and I’m not afraid to work for it.” •
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