Under his wings: Gach twins follow their big brother’s footsteps
Published 10:04 pm Monday, July 20, 2015
Duoth Gach and Both Gach have been active on the AAU basketball circuit this summer as they look to follow in their big brother Gach Gach’s footsteps. From left: Duoth, Gach and Both. Photo by Nathan Brinkman/For the Austin Daily Herald
By Nathan Brinkman
For the Austin Daily Herald
After watching their big brother lead the Packers last year, Both Gach and Duoth Gach are hoping to take their next step in their basketball careers.
Both and Duoth, who are twin brothers, hope to fill the shoes of their older brother, Gach Gach who led the Packer basketball team in scoring and rebounding during the 2014-2015 season.
Duoth Gach goes up for a dunk as his twin brother Both Gach looks on in Lions Park in Austin Tuesday. Duoth and Both, who will be sophomores this Fall, have been playing AAU basketball together on the Minnesota Fury this summer. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Gach had a serious impact on getting his brothers to start playing basketball at a young age and seeing him have success in his career has motivated them to work hard to be successful as well. Despite being an incoming sophomore with very limited varsity playing time Duoth said he isn’t feeling added pressure from his brothers.
“Seeing Gach play on the state floor and have a great season this year made me want to be like him, but I’m confident in myself so I don’t feel any extra pressure,” said Duoth.
This summer, Both and Duoth are playing for Minnesota Fury 15U AAU Basketball team along with Austin’s Tate Hebrink and other players from around southeastern Minnesota. Former Packers Joe and Tom Aase and Zach Wessels also played for the Minnesota Fury during their high school careers.
“Playing competitive basketball all summer long definitely helps us to improve, but the main reason for playing AAU ball is to be scouted by college coaches.” said Both.
Gach played in AAU during multiple offseasons while in high school which helped him to earn a scholarship to play for North Dakota State College of Science.
“Playing in AAU is much different than playing for the high school team. The extra work I put in during offseasons pushed my game to a whole new level,” said Gach.
The twins are now heading into their sophomore year of high school and are looking to make a greater impact on the court for the Packers this coming season. Last season, Both saw substantial varsity playing time as a reserve guard and averaged 7.3 points per game and shot 37 percent on three pointers. While Duoth spent the majority of his freshman season playing for the JV team.
With Both standing at 6-2 and Duoth at 6-3 respectively the Gach twins are showing great signs for a pair of incoming sophomores. Each of the twins is able to dunk the ball and Duoth even had an in-game dunk during AAU play this summer.
Both is a combo guard who can handle the ball and shoot, Duoth is a shooting guard whose game consists mostly of slashing to the basket and playing tough perimeter defense. Each of the twins’ styles of play is different from their older brother Gach who functioned primarily as a post player during his high school career. Although he projects as more of a guard in college.
Twins playing basketball is nothing new as the NBA currently features three pairs of twins. Brook and Robin Lopez, Marcus and Markieff Morris, and Rookies Aaron and Andrew Harrison are all twins who played on the same team in high school and college before turning pro. Also, longtime WNBA players and former Mayo Spartans Coco and Kelly Miller are twins who led the Spartans to two state championships in the 90’s.
“It’s nice having twin brother chemistry out on the court but I can play with anyone,” Both said.
