Tony Gill is a student athlete at Cosumnes River College who received recognition for his hard work with the Hawks’ basketball team.

Last season, he earned a First Team All-Conference Pick, which is only given to the top 10 players who have had the best season. His statistics from last year show how much work Gill has invested in his sport, making an average of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Gill played volleyball and football in middle school, but chose to stay with basketball in his high school years.

“I really like how fast paced basketball is, and how much more thinking and skill is involved in playing,” Gill said. “You constantly have to be able to react at any given instance.”

While Gill could have chosen to go to any other college he chose to come to Cosumnes River College.

“I chose CRC because the coaching staff convinced me that it was the best place for me to reach my goals,” Gill said.

For Gill, CRC is “a place where you can come and mature as a person and gain a greater athletic ability to get to a four-year university.”
Gill suffered an injury towards the end of the last season against Diablo Valley College. While contesting a shot right before halftime, he took a bad step on his ankle and was forced to miss the rest of the season. The injury lingered for a full two months and is still an issue for Gill.

“It still hurts once in a while, I have to wear a brace, but it’s a lot better then what is was before,” Gill said.

Even so, Gill is already excited for the upcoming season and playing with his team.

“I’m super excited,” Gill said. “We have a good team this year, and we worked extremely hard this off-season. We’re ready to go.”

Gill also has a full scholarship offer from Northern Arizona University. By using CRC as stepping ladder, he is setting goals for himself to prepare for his transfer to the four-year university.

His ultimate goal is to obtain a basketball scholarship so that he can get into medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Gill knows the importance of education, which is why he plans to focus on his future after basketball.

Gill also credits the CRC staff for helping him reach his goals.

“We have a really good staff. They take pride in the athletes,” Gill said. “They do all they can to help us succeed. Whether we need counseling, tutoring or a student education plan, they either find a solution or point us in the direction of someone who can.”