Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Kaitlin Giacone and her teammates celebrate their Dick Niclai tournament championship earlier this year.

By Ray Hamill — After an outstanding high school career playing multiple sports at Eureka High, Kaitlin Giacone is taking her talents to the basketball court at College of the Sequoias.

And she can thank another former Logger for the role she played in getting her there.

The two-time Big 5 MVP had originally planned on playing at Butte College, but when head coach Tyler Newton left the Roadrunners — whom he had built into a state powerhouse program — to take over at Sequoias, Giacone decided to follow him to Visalia.

But it almost never happened, except for the influence of Bella Vigil, who played two years for Newton and reached a state championship game with Butte after graduating from Eureka in 2021.

“I think she put in a good word for me,” Giacone said of Vigil, who was a popular player and team captain with the Roadrunners. “And she told me how awesome and how much of a sense of community there is on the team.”

Regardless of how it all came about, one thing’s for certain — Giacone should fit in well at Sequoias after an outstanding high school career playing for the Loggers, which included a Big 5 and Dick Niclai tournament championship double in both her junior and senior years. 

But the success is not the only thing the former Loggers standout will remember from her time competing at Eureka High.

“I’ll probably just remember going to practice every day, no matter what sport it was,” said Giacone, who also was a standout soccer and softball player at the school. “And getting to hang out with my friends at practice.

“And for me, being MVP in my junior and senior year was definitely my biggest accomplishment, but also the Niclai tournament [final] when we came back after St. Bernard’s beat us [in the regular season]. That was definitely a cool moment.”

For Giacone, committing to play basketball in college almost never happened, and she admits she had other plans.

But a bad knee injury in the final game of her junior season in basketball changed things after she was ruled out for the 2023 spring season.

“For most of my life, I was pretty sure it was going to be softball I played in college,” she said. “But [that changed] after I hurt myself in my junior year. That’s when I would have been getting the exposure I needed to play softball.”

But that’s not to say she doesn’t like the idea of playing basketball at the next level.

“I don’t think I have a favorite. Basketball and softball are my favorite two,” she said.

Giacone, who wants to major in exercise science and eventually become a physical therapist, is looking forward to the challenge and was quickly sold on following Newton to Visalia, even though it’s a little farther away from home than she had planned.

“I’m just excited to be a part of a program where everyone works hard every day,” she said. “Everyone is friends on and off the court. Coach Tyler makes sure he builds a community.

“The first time coach Tyler called me, he was insanely funny and seemed super positive.”

Giacone knows she will have to battle for playing time on the college courts, but she is embracing the challenge.

“I’ll definitely have to fight for a starting role,” she said. “Everyone on the team has things they are super good at, and that’s what I’m excited about.”

The outgoing Eureka senior, who begins summer training with her new team next week, would like to take her talents to a four-year program after her time at Sequoias, and that could be as soon as next year.

After completing some AP classes in high school, Giacone is confident she can get her AA degree in one year.

“If I can get (some interest) from a good four-year program, I would potentially transfer after one year,” she said.

And while she admits she’s a little nervous about such a big move this summer, she’s also excited about what the future holds for her.

“I’m super excited coach Tyler called me,” she said. “If I’m going to go to a JUCO, I may as well go to the best one.”