Zach Gentry is listed as a 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior power forward on the
Eldorado (Albuquerque, N.M.) boys basketball roster.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Gentry did not come out for basketball this winter while he prepares to eventually join the University of Michigan football team for the 2015 campaign.
Gentry is one of the greatest two-sport athletes in New Mexico history, and after being named Mr. Football in the fall he had a good shot at also earning Mr. Basketball honors this winter. It's extremely rare that an athlete is talented enough to dominate these two sports which - among other demands - are overlapping.
Eldorado basketball coach Roy Sanchez hopefully listed the lanky superstar on his roster, apparently just in case.
Zach Gentry, Eldorado
Photo by Ken Rutt
Sanchez told MaxPreps two weeks ago that the chances of Gentry still joining his team "probably are not very good, but I'm still on him. His whole mindset is on football. There's no doubt he could be (Mr. Basketball), but he is such a special player in football. We could be undefeated with the teams we have played (the Eagles were 5-8 at that time). He's still being hounded by other colleges (trying to coax him to play for them instead of Texas) and that's part of the problem why he's not playing basketball."
It should be noted that Sanchez made that statement before Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh lured Gentry to Ann Arbor after he had been previously committed to Texas.
MaxPreps, which interviewed Gentry with no problem during the football season, attempted to reach him four times recently, but was unsuccessful. The last attempt brought the following message: "The mailbox is full and cannot accept any more messages."
Gentry had outstanding numbers as a junior, averaging 19.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and shooting 66 percent from the field. He also was honored as first-team all-state. He could have been expected to improve upon those numbers this year. As a sophomore he averaged 9.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and shot 63 percent from the field.
Sanchez pointed out, "He could have gone to a major school (for basketball). He's a heck of a player. He shoots well, jumps well, plays good defense and actually handles the ball well for a 6-7 guy. He knows how to box out and uses his body well. He's a good kid and we get along great."
Other coaches also praised Gentry's basketball ability.
Mike Smith of Hobbs said, "He's strong and his size makes such a difference. If he concentrated on basketball he probably would be (No. 1) because he's a great athlete."
Jim Murphy of Hope Christian (Albuquerque), who has won 12 state titles, noted, "He's probably the best athlete. He would help that team tremendously. We had no answer for him on the boards (last year). He definitely would have been in the mix."
No one questions that Gentry is one of the greatest quarterbacks in New Mexico history. He possesses a rare combination of size, speed and arm strength.
Gentry earned Gatorade New Mexico State Player of the Year honors by completing 201 of 335 passes (60 percent) for 2,978 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior for the 10-2 Eagles. He also ran 163 times for 1,057 yards and 22 touchdowns. He finished his brilliant career with 55 passing touchdowns and 47 rushing.
