February 12, 2008

The Reporter: Gustafson leads VCS to Tourney

Sharp-shooting Falcon Gustafson leads VCS into tourney By Stephanie Hammon/Sports Writer

Tomas Gustafson no longer is Vacaville Christian High School’s secret weapon.

Oh, he’s a weapon all right, but a secret? Not anymore.

Teams have caught on to the senior guard, one of the sharpest outside shooters in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

“I’m only about 5-11 and not really quick so I’ve always relied on shooting,” Gustafson said. “I guess it ended up being my specialty.”

Gustafson was a major player this season as the Falcons earned a share of the Central Valley Christian League title with Forest Lake Christian. He averages 4.4 3-pointers a game and almost always leads his team in scoring.

His production from beyond the arc has slowed some recently with opposing teams refusing to leave him open.

But as long as the Falcons are winning, Gustafson doesn’t care how many points he gets. Plus, he knows that just being on the court will help open up the Falcons’ inside game.

“The biggest thing is he spreads out the ‘D’ for us because he can hit those threes,” VCS coach Chris Minner said. “He’s not afraid of hitting big shots… If you leave him open, he’ll knock it down.”

That wasn’t always the case. Actually, the fact that Gustafson is still playing is a testament to his character.

The senior made his varsity debut last season, but spent most of his time on the bench.
According to Minner, Gustafson’s transformation began over the summer.

“He didn’t play a whole lot for us last year, but he took it and didn’t complain,” Minner said. “He put in the time (over the summer) and got a lot of practice and playing time and that boosted his confidence.

“A lot of kids these days woud have quit (after last season). He said ‘I’m not better than the guy starting so I’m going to get better.’”

Gustafson is part of a group of seniors who stepped up to help make the Falcons a playoff-bound team this year. VCS lost four starters to graduation after the 2007 season.

VCS sits comfortably in ninth place in the latest Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV power ratings, with the top 16 teams qualifying for the playoffs.

They’ll have a final chance to improve their postseason position and possibly earn a home playoff game by faring well at the CVCL tournament, which begins today.

The Falcons will host Foresthill in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in the opening round.

Despite moving up from Division V to D-IV this season, Gustafson is confident the Falcons can fare just as well, if not better, than in years past.

“The last couple years we get past first round and lose in second round,” he said. “I want to advance past the second round if not win the section championship. If we were still in Division V, I know we’d win it.”