An 8th grade basketball prodigy has been selected to start as a point guard for Northside Christian’s varsity team.
Frank "Tre" Gilliam is a 5'7", 125-pound point guard who plays for the Northside Christian Mustangs under coach David Madasz. Gilliam is an A student in 8th grade and slated to graduate in 2020. This is Gilliam’s second year on the high school varsity team at Northside Christian.
Madasz said Gilliam is the “real deal.”
“He is one of the best ball handlers I have ever seen for a player his age,” Madasz said. “Tre's ability to play the game of basketball at such a high level makes it an easy choice for the coaches at Northside to put so much responsibility on his young shoulders.”
The youngest Mustang by far, Gilliam is admired by his high-school-age teammates. They are all looking to the young point guard to help win big games.
“The first time I saw him play I knew he was a special player,” Madasz said. “Tre is such a natural talent, but he also supplements this talent with multiple hours of hard work daily. His ability to dribble the ball on a string makes him almost impossible to guard in a one-on-one situation. I know Tre is going to make some college coach look good in the future at the Division I level.”
Gilliam is looking forward to the opportunity to start with an older team.
"I am very excited about the season, I look forward to be able to try to showcase the hard work I have been putting in off the court. I love the challenge of playing people that are older than me and that is also what makes me feel ready for this upcoming season."
Gilliam was a standout at Future150 Elite24 Camp in August. According to Scout's Notes, he "broke down the defense to get in the lane with crafty finishes… He shot floaters, one handed scoop finishes and finished with contact. He also has a natural flare with his passes. He made tough no look passes look easy."
Gilliam attended John Lucas Camp Right Way Southwest in Gilbert, Arizona in September, where he was ranked in the top dozen players at number 7.
A video highlighting Gilliam’s performance on the court can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su7TeQgSQBQ
Gilliam also plays for the Southern Stampede in Atlanta as part of the Nike Elite Youth Travel Basketball Program and for Team Speights Elite Travel Basketball, based in St. Petersburg.
“Coaching him is a pleasure,” said Kaheem Draper, coach of Nike Southern Stampede. “Tre is a excellent ball handler as well as a good defender and it goes without saying a pure headache for opposing teams on offense. Tre… will be a player that we will watch on many a big stages.”
Larry Murphy, Head Coach of Team Speights, concurs.
“Excellent playmaker off the dribble, whether it's crafty finishes at the rim or great passes to teammates,” Murphy said. “Very hard to guard in transition because he has a multitude of moves that he uses and does a great job with change of pace moves to keep you off balance. He is a good on the ball defender and uses his good lateral quickness to control his opposition.”
The Mustangs’ next game is during the Mitchell Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday, Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. against the Gulf from New Port Richey, Fla.
A website for Gilliam is under development at tregilliam.com. Follow Tre Gilliam on
Twitter (@tregilliam3) and Instagram (@d1scipline).
Contact:
Dante Gilliam
727-232-4047
Address: St. Petersburg, FL
info@tregilliam.com
