TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Good veteran leadership on a team is something many want, but don't have. The Lincoln boys basketball team has senior Dave Gainous, who's been leading ever since he stepped on campus, and no one understands it better than Gainous.
"He was team captain as a sophomore," said head coach Matt Anderson. "I've been doing this 34 years, and I don't know if that's ever happened in my career."
He's been team captain for the last three seasons, a position Gainous doesn't take for granted.
"When I came to high school, it was like, I want to be up there with the best," he said. "It really started with my teammates. My teammates trust in me. I go out there on the court and I give it my all. I earn my respect. I earn everything I get out there on the floor."
Respect that's warranted, as Gainous leads nearly every statistical category for the Trojans.
"Dave is certainly one of those guys that makes things happen," said Anderson. "He gets other people involved. He just makes our team better in so many ways."
It's not just on the court where he's leading the Trojans, as he has a 3.8 GPA.
"It all comes down to discipline and knowing how to balance basketball and schoolwork," he said of his success. "If you pay attention in the classroom, you'll come out here and do the same thing on the court."
"There's no use for our younger kids to not be achieving the same things if that's what they want in life is to be an athlete and a college type athlete," added Anderson.
An athlete that looks to carve out a new legacy at Lincoln.
"I want to get up on that banner," said Gainous, pointing to a banner highlighting the history of Lincoln boys basketball. No team has ever won a state title in boys basketball. "There are no names on that banner. I want to be the first team-up there. That's how I'm approaching the season for the rest of the year."
A finish he's been working towards for the last three seasons. Gainous said he wants to play college basketball and major in engineering.
