Trailblazer basketball starts 2022 recruiting class with Madisonville point guard

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazers picked up an early signing Tuesday afternoon in the form of Madisonville—North Hopkins point guard Kale Gaither.

Gaither is a 5-foot-10 point guard who helped lead the Maroons to a 23-8 record this season, a Region Semi-Final appearance and the 2021-22 District 7 Championship.

Gaither helped guide his team to this Championship by averaging 25 points, five assists and five rebounds per game, including scoring 34 points in Madisonville’s 79-55 District Championship win over Hopkins County Central.

Gaither has been a starter at the varsity level since his eighth-grade season and is considered to be one of the top point guards coming out of the state of Kentucky this season.

Gaither transferred to Madisonville-North Hopkins High School before the 2020-21 season to play for head coach Jon Newton.

“I’ve driven down to watch Kale play three times this year,” VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. “He definitely brings an element, pure basketball wise, that we did not have this year. In terms of speed, quickness, change of gear and the ability to attack the basket. Now he’s got to fit into college and do all the things that you have to do, make the transitions of life and it’s hard to guess how guys are actually going to do it. But from a straight basketball standpoint, his speed, quickness and ability to make plays, utilizing ball screens and creating easy buckets for others because he comes at you in a dynamic way, we sorely lacked that this past year.”

“We’ve been searching for it, to make sure that we have it this year,” Franklin added. “Because we’ve always had that during our record-setting run of trips to Hutch and we felt like that was an area that we just didn’t have and I think Kale certainly brings that to the table. I think his numbers bare that out, he averages 25 points and five assists a game and that’s just what he is. He’s not as big as some guards that we’ve had here over the years but he has some length to him, so I think he will be able to adapt.”

“He shoots pretty well. Like a lot of quick guys, it’s just able getting reps at it because he’s always been able to get by guys. He does shoot the ball well and he does shoot the ball well with range. He will allow us to push the ball, which we want to do, we just couldn’t. He’s a guy that can blow by a press and turn it into an advantage for you. He brings a lot of those things to the table, so we are excited about him.”

Gaither had been drawing interest from many different Junior College across the country and several local Region 24 schools this season, receiving offers from Moberly Area, East Mississippi Community College and Southwestern Illinois College before choosing to sign with Vincennes University.

“I don’t recruit against anybody,” Franklin said. “I never worry about it, that’s never been a thing for us. If I think a guy can play and no one else is looking at him, it doesn’t bother me. If everybody’s looking at a guy, it doesn’t bother me. We just present who we are and we try to get guys that match. Kale has gotten a lot of attention and it has grown over time, but that doesn’t play into anything that we do.”

“We are more focused on ‘do you fit here’,” Franklin added. “Do I think you fit here. Obviously now, one thing is that I’ve had more time where I can get out there. One of the things about the season we just had, while there are a lot of things about that that we don’t like, when you win all the time and play until the last day, one of the bad things is that I don’t get to get out and see with my eyes and be on the road. Unless you are within two hours, it’s impossible because I’m at practice and can’t get there in time.”

“My eyes have been pretty good over the years. It’s just about can I get my eyes out there. It’s not for a lack of wanting to get out there, it’s just the logistics of it. But with us not being what we’ve been for a variety of reasons I’m able to get out there and I’ve seen Kale three times. The bigger thing for me is the evaluation, not who you are recruiting against.”

“But I’m excited about Kale, we just hope that he fits into college and makes the transition. Like everybody else, we will have him here this summer. He seems excited about it and obviously he picked to come here, with a variety of options. So, when we talk about recruiting against, the one good thing is this is a young man who decided this is what he was looking for. Hopefully he means that when he’s here and continues to be that way. If he does, if he comes in here and works, stays focused on the task and listens to us a little bit and really competes, I think he can be a good player. I think he could be a really good player. I think he will compete and I think he’s got the competitive nature in him.”

“So, as long as he adapts to college, which is hard to predict, I think Kale can be a really good player for us and hopefully he can help whoever else we’ve got in here, as we’re going to recruit a ton of guys to come in and be ready to go. But if you look at it with him playing with Shilo, I think he’s going to get Shilo a lot of easier looks. Shilo had a really good year this year for a freshman, his numbers were really fabulous for a freshman and he did that without really getting easy buckets ever. Shilo had to battle all season and I think Kale can help provide some easier looks. We’ve got to get more guys that can do that, but those things will help and we expect Shilo to have a big year next year and I think a guy like Kale is a step toward helping with that as well.”

“I’m excited about the potential of Kale and I think Kale can be a good player, he’s just got to adapt to being in college. We will do everything we can to help with that, including bringing him in over the summer. So one good thing about getting him signed early is that we are able to facilitate that process and bring him in here, which I think is big. But it will only be as good as he turns out. He could be a good player. I’ve seen him enough to know that he could be a good player and I don’t doubt that ability wise and opportunity wise, he is going to have that chance.”

“We’re excited, but we’ll see how it turns out. It’s part of the process. It’s all day, every day. It’s on the phone, going out and watching. It’s going to practice. It’s talking to people about these guys to try to find out what kind of person these guys really are. But it’s all day and night and you keep moving until is over and when it’s over you hope that you’ve collected the right amount of guys and right guys that can do it for you. We always have until this past year but we’ve flipped the page on that and we’ve gone into a very determined mode of getting it right. I can tell everybody; I’m as determined right now as I’ve ever been. So you can place what that means, because I’ve been pretty successful over the years and right now I’m as determined to be good as I’ve ever been. We have every intention of being back and not just being back and good but being back on top. I’m not out here just to be good. I’m out here to be back on top and I think Kale can be a part of that.”

The Vincennes University Athletic Department is excited to welcome Kale to the 2022 Trailblazer recruiting class.