The Gilbert boys basketball team made the 5A-I boys hoops semifinals last year and gave Gilbert Highland a scare before eventually bowing out.
This Tigers lost a good deal of that talent to graduation, including Elliot Clark and Eric Donzella.
But one player coach Jay Caserio was counting on to contribute significantly this year was Matt Alvarado. He played well down the stretch and was named a captain for this season.
At this point, though, Alvarado’s season is in jeopardy.
Alvarado came down with a rare spinal disorder a few months ago called transverse myelitis, which limited the use of his right arm. The 6-foot-2 senior is improving every day, but at this point, Caserio said it is impossible for him to compete.
“This is a player that has been a part of our program for four years and has never missed a basketball function,” Caserio said in an e-mail. ” It is a huge loss for our team.”
