Coalgate senior Ashton Cagle is a guy that just loves basketball. It’s the only sport he plays and that’s just fine with first-year head coach Niki Walker.
“He’s a hard worker who plays his butt off from beginning to end. His non-stop energy and speed are his greatest assets. He makes me tired sometimes just watching him,” laughed Walker. “He doesn’t play football, so I’ve had him in the gym since August which has been helpful. He’s our point guard and since I played point guard in school, I probably hold my point guards to a higher standard than most. They’ve got to be the floor general and know where people need to be. He’s probably the best player I have, and he just loves the game.”
Ashton is one of four basketball-playing brothers who battled on their home court continuously.
“We played all the time no matter what the weather. If it was raining, we’d go out and play in our underwear. There probably wasn’t a patch of green grass within 20 feet of that basketball court,” laughed Cagle. “Basketball was our thing, and I didn’t even have a video game until I was 12 or 13.”
Being the next to youngest of the four brothers meant that Ashton became an aggressive player early.
“I had to learn to fight and scrap early because I was always getting picked on. We were very competitive, and I remember a lot of games that would end in fist fights,” he chuckled.
As a senior Ashton has had to step into a leadership role this year.
“The examples he sets speak the loudest about his leadership,” said Walker. “He’s also got to be vocal because of his position as point guard.”
And being vocal is a major aspect of what Ashton considers good leadership.
“I think good leadership starts with communicating and being able to talk to the whole team while earning the respect of the younger players.”
Ashton is a four-year starter in basketball having played his first two years in Wapanucka before transferring to Coalgate his junior year. After high school Cagle intends to go to school to learn carpentry and knows how he would like to be remembered as a basketball player for the Wildcats.
“I just want folks to remember that I left it all out on the court.”
