LJ BB: "We vibe together"



Guard Gaynor Blackmon (behind) applies

full-court pressure against Santa Fe Christian

Dec. 20 in Grossmont Invitational.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

 

 

"I kind of just realized what I needed to do," Viking guard Gaynor Blackmon says about his new-found comfort on the basketball court, which is apparent in his movement, his effectiveness, and the minutes Coach Paul Baranowski is giving him in recent tournament games over the holidays. "I'm on the court if I'm putting out the energy, if I'm running the offense well."

Very recent good news is the email the senior backcourtman received at 12:20 a.m. Christmas morning, just after Christmas Eve, informing him that he had been accepted to the University of Colorado. He wants to continue studying physiology and possibly pursue research or be a family physician, the latter which would suit his people-orientedness.

His is the smiling countenance you often encounter if you hang around the La Jolla High varsity squad. "I was really shy and sensitive (at a younger age)," Blackmon reveals. "I didn't take any criticism well." He said that that made it tough in his brief foray into football, and he didn't enjoy it.

But basketball suits his skills and his personality. He has been playing the sport since he was eight years old. He likes the team aspect. And the game involves what Gaynor calls "finesse": "When you're 'finessing'," he elaborates, "that's when you're getting by your defender. When they're pressing, you've got to be more elusive than the other player.

"If you can fake one way and go the other, the other way might be wide-open."

The 5'7" guard preaches the team concept convincingly. From observing him all last season and the first month of this season, it's evident that the senior wants to play his role on La Jolla's team and help put his teammates in a position to succeed. There is a camaraderie among him and his teammates. He says he knows his fellow seniors better than some of the juniors--fellow classmen including Zach Duffy, Mark Rawdin, and Daniel Hemming, guys that he hangs with--though, of the whole team, "When we're together, we vibe together. We mesh together well."

"If I do good, I'm going to be happy," he says. "But it's about if we get there together as a team."

The Viking has some life experience already at his tender age of 18 that gives him insight into other people's struggles. He has moved four times, being born in Minnesota--"Are you a Timberwolf," he is asked; "I could be," he grins--then moving to Wisconsin, Colorado for eight years, then Calabasas, north of Los Angeles, and finally, La Jolla before ninth grade.

"Definitely, it's a big part of who I am," Gaynor says of the geographic moves. "(Moving) hasn't always been good. I've met so many people from so many different backgrounds.

"So many people only know one type of living. We lived in suburban areas with families" in the other states. "(As a result) I can relate to different people's struggles."

Where that experience comes out is in his ability to listen to others. "If someone vents to me about a situation, maybe I can give them a different perspective."

He has just taken his younger brother Grayson, a 7th-grader at Muirlands Middle School, out for sushi just before the interview. Blackmon says horchatas (sweet rice drink) from Rigoberto's are another favorite. Grayson is into football. Their sister Gabrielle, 11, does gymnastics.

Coming off the bench to set up the offense, he says he's mindful of the following things: "Who's just scored? Who's feeling it on that day? Also, mismatches."

"If the shooters aren't feeling it (confidence), I want to try to get them a chance to shoot (to gain confidence), when we're not fighting to get back into the game," he explains.

"I feel Owen (Porter) and I have a telepathic connection. He knows when I need him to backdoor."

He appreciates his mother Michelle's unconditional support. But he says his dad, Gaynor Sr., will speak bluntly to Gaynor Jr. about his responsibility in a situation. "If I've ever had a problem, I always go to my dad. He's the one who calms me out. I'm not going to go to my mom, because she'll say, 'It's the other person's fault.' He'll be: 'You're being selfish.' He'll tell me if I'm doing good or bad."

Son and dad speak frequently, via phone. Dad lives in Colorado, where Gaynor Jr. spent Christmas the past week.

The future Buffalo at the University of Colorado in Boulder sets goals and believes in hard work. "Life is what you put into it," he says philosophically. "If you're not proactive about setting goals, you're going to be upset. You're not going to feel fulfilled."

"Complacency is the enemy. I know what I want to work for. If I'm on track for what I want to do, I'll be fine. Stressing out isn't usually going to help things."

His present goals include continuing to work hard in the classroom, including physiology, in preparation for college, and staying focused on the basketball team, helping the team "continuing to win."

Gaynor's increasing self-confidence, overcoming his earlier shyness, still includes awareness of others' feelings. "I always try to make people laugh," he says, "or if I'm not putting anything into the relationship, (I will). I like to make everyone feel welcome."

Where does he get this sense of hospitality? "I think both of my parents are very accepting of people, regardless of their background. When I meet someone new, they have a clean slate (in my mind)."


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper