A lot changed for Colin Gould in just a few seasons.
The Franklin County Technical School star went from missing the entire 2014-15 season with a back injury to becoming the top scorer in The Recorder-area this winter.
The senior finished his final season in the Powertown averaging 25.7 points per game, over six full points clear of runner-up Kevin Mendez of Greenfield High School (19.5 ppg), to capture the top spot. Pioneer Valley Regional School senior Tucker Llewelyn was 3rd with 18.2 points per outing, while Mohawk Trail Regional High School’s Torsten Sloan-Anderson (13.4) and Mahar Regional School’s Bryce Cleveland (13.1) rounded out the top 5.
“Offensively, he’s pretty much the total package,” lauded FC Tech head coach Matt Llewelyn of Gould. “What’s best about him is he’s not just a pure shooter. He only averages like one 3-pointer per game. He has a great mid-range jumper and is probably the best slasher and transition player around here.
“The other part is he knows his strength,” he continued. “He led western Mass. in free throws made by almost 50 this year. He knows that going to the hoop hard is a strength. Doing that definitely helps his game and helps us win as a team. That being said, he can step back and hit a 3-pointer over a defender if need be. There’s a lot to like there.”
Gould joined the school’s 1,000-point club this winter, and also added a career-high 42 points in a win over Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School this season. Not too bad for someone who was forced to just sit and watch during his sophomore campaign after suffering the injury.
“That was definitely tough,” Gould recalled of the 2014-15 season. “I’d go to every practice and just sit on the sidelines. I just wanted to get out on the court so badly. So it was something to look forward to after physical therapy and when I was back healthy, I just tried to focus on enjoying my last two seasons playing here.”
After averaging 7.2 points per game as a freshman, Gould’s role increased dramatically when he returned as a junior. Under new head coach Llewelyn, he poured in 20 points per game, second in the Recorder-area behind only Pioneer’s Brad Hastings.
“When I came in as a freshman, I played a point guard, more of a pass-first role in our system,” Gould explained. “So going from that to junior year as a shooting guard/small forward and more of a scorer, I feel like I transitioned from it pretty well. It was a big change going into junior year because I was never used to that but after the first half of the season, I really got used to it. It felt like I had more responsibility but at the same time, the scoring came naturally. I never tried to hog the ball, just tried to score through the flow of our offense.”
Llewelyn said it didn’t take long during the preseason of Gould’s junior year to figure out that he was going to assume offensive leadership responsibilities.
“It was the first day of practice and he had the ball at half court and we stopped practice,” Llewelyn recalled. “I told him, if you’re going to be playing on my team, the varsity team, you have to take control. From that moment on, he knew his role. Once he figured out his role as a scorer, we knew we were going to win some games.”
Tech went 18-6 during Gould’s junior season and followed that up with a 13-9 campaign this winter. Both teams reached the WMass Division IV Tournament.
“I was definitely excited going into this season, knowing it was my last year,” Gould explained. “I was hoping we’d win more in the tournament but in the end, it was still a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Gould had plenty of fun on Feb. 1. He poured in a career-high 42 points against an overmatched Smith Voke side, sinking 18 field goals (all 2-pointers) and 6 free throws to power the Eagles to a 66-38 victory on the road in Northampton.
“Every time I came down the floor, I had open lanes or I knew I could make one move on a guy and get in for an open layup,” he recalled. “We were fast-breaking well that night, too. We outran those guys.”
One game later on Feb. 3, Gould joined the 1,000-point club when he scored 27 points in a 75-51 rout of Westfield Technical Academy.
“I never honestly thought it would happen, especially after freshman year I didn’t score all that much and I missed my sophomore year,” he said of the milestone. “But it was super exciting. When it first happened, it didn’t really hit me until after the game. But looking back now, it’s definitely special and something I’ll always remember.”
Gould wound up scoring over 1,000 points between his junior and senior seasons alone en route to a total of 1,173. He notched 479 points as a junior and 565 this winter to go with 129 as a freshman.
“The fact that if you take away his freshman season he still (reached 1,000) is really impressive,” lauded Llewelyn. “So basically two years, starting from scratch with a new coach and they lost 9 seniors after his sophomore year… that’s a lot to ask. But without his attitude being the way that it was, we never would’ve gotten where we did.”
Through it all, Gould’s desire to win trumped all the scoring accolades he amassed over the course of his career.
“One of the best things about Colin is his personality is one of my favorites on the team,” Llewelyn concluded. “One of his best friends was a freshman. He didn’t care about age or anything, he just wanted to win. I would say if we took a team vote, he would be one of the most popular kids on the team and in the school, as well. He took on the role of getting everyone together this season. More than that, he leads by example. Just a great kid for our program.”