Gaston to continue basketball career at Northwestern College

She will use that same type of helpful attitude to create healthy outcomes for Northwestern’s basketball program as well.

The Louisville senior signed a letter of intent Thursday to play basketball at the Great Plains Athletic Conference school. Gaston said she was looking forward to traveling to Orange City, Iowa, for classes, practices and games.

“I’ve been in contact with them for a long time, and I really love everything about the school,” Gaston said. “I love the campus and they have my major, so from that standpoint it was a great fit, and I’ve always wanted to play college basketball. I also really like the team’s togetherness. It seems like a real close team and the coaches have been great to talk to. I’m definitely excited about it.”

Northwestern assistant coach Macy Miller said the Red Raiders have had Gaston on their recruiting radar for many months. She said Gaston’s work ethic, intelligence and athletic ability made her a good fit for the program.

“One of the assistant coaches from last year let us know about Jaylin, and we made sure to keep in contact with her this year,” Miller said. “We’re really excited about what she can bring to the team. I think she’s going to help us in a lot of ways. Jaylin’s someone who is going to bring a lot of energy to our program.”

Gaston appeared in three varsity games as a freshmen at Louisville before securing a key role on the team as a sophomore. She scored 83 points, grabbed 91 rebounds and made two blocks in 25 games during the 2019-20 season.

Gaston gave the Lions a valuable presence in the paint during her junior year. She helped the team qualify for the district finals with her work in 26 games. She finished with 110 points, 84 rebounds, 25 steals, six blocks and eight assists. She also drew two charges and made 16 pass deflections.

Gaston spent a large amount of time preparing for her senior season, and that work ethic paid off for the Lions in multiple ways. She set career-best marks with 172 points, 149 rebounds, 39 steals, 15 assists and 34 pass deflections. She grabbed 57 offensive and 92 defensive rebounds and sank 37 percent of her field-goal attempts.

Gaston said she enjoys playing basketball because it is a team sport that is fast-paced and energetic. She said her time at Louisville has also elevated her love of the game. She has shared many memories with classmates on the court since elementary school.

“It’s been a lot of fun playing basketball with my friends,” Gaston said. “We had ten seniors this year, and we’ve been playing basketball together since the third grade. It’s so much fun being around them.”

Gaston is planning to major in nursing at Northwestern. She has earned a large number of academic awards at Louisville and has been on the LHS Gold Honor Roll multiple times. She is a Nebraska School Activities Association Academic All-State Award recipient.

Gaston participates in journalism, SkillsUSA, National Honor Society, cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, track and field, Student Council and quiz bowl at Louisville. She has qualified for the state journalism contest, won a SkillsUSA state championship and earned a Local School Award in the NSAA Believers and Achievers program.