An FGCU men's basketball player ended his freshman year with a memorable game and a confident mindset for next year.
Freshman Tristen Guillouette played a significant role for his team in the College Basketball Invitational tournament. The FGCU Eagles played their first game against Army of the NCAA Patriot League March 24.
The Eagles won in a close game 68-65; however, with 16 minutes remaining in the second half of the game, the Eagles starting forward, senior Keeshawn Kellman, went down with an ankle injury and could not play the rest of the tournament.
The following day, the Eagles played Cleveland State of the NCAA Horizon League. With Kellman out, Guillouette had to step up and fulfill that role.
Guillouette said, “I work hard for this moment. A lot of people would fall into the mindset like, ‘Oh, I’m not gonna play that much. I’m playing behind an older guy.’ Like, I always kept the mindset that whenever my name gets called, I’m gonna be ready," he said. "So I just worked as hard as I could all season, and when my name got called, I wasn’t nervous or scared, and I was just confident and ready to play.”
That positive and confident mindset was evident on the court as Guillouette finished the game six-for-eight from the field, 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, one steal, and zero turnovers, playing 28 of 40 minutes.
Although the Eagles fell short that game, 72-65, Guillouette had a promising performance leading into next year. “I’m looking forward to growing a little more in my role. Be a better leader. Be more of a vocal leader and get stronger,” Guillouette said.
Reflecting on his season, Guillouette said, “My experience at FGCU… it was fun. It was fun learning a lot on and off the court about myself and about life. Basketball-wise, I feel like I grew up a lot. You know, playing against older guys made me learn and see the game a little bit differently. Being away from home, I feel like it made me grow up more as a man, and that helped on the court as well.”
Not only is Guillouette proud of his growth in his first season in college, his mother, Annessa Ambrose, was in the stands nearly every game, traveling miles from her New Jersey home each time to support her son.
“It was honestly a joy to watch him during his freshman year because it’s like all the years that he prepared for this moment, he now had to do it by himself, away in Florida, and be confident to execute even though he was in uncharted territory,” Ambrose said.
The two share a strong, unbreakable bond, and basketball is a small part of it.
“I was able to really just celebrate his accomplishments from the stands and just watch him go through certain trials and tribulations and watch him overcome those, and it made our relationship so much more stronger. And I am confident in who he is and the man that I raised, that he will be successful,” Ambrose said.
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