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Lake Zurich's Gilbertson marches on in pursuit of success

Without marching band, there is no march to March Madness in the Gilbertson household.

Gerry Gilbertson, the father, won't permit it.

"My dad has this big rule in the house where we can't do any sport if we are not in the band," said Ella Gilbertson, a Lake Zurich four-year varsity basketball guard and equally hardworking trombone player in the LZHS marching band. "It's something to balance sports out."

Gilbertson might want to toot her own horn about her versatility as a student-athlete, but it's not her style. Just like she could have accepted offers from Northern Illinois University and Florida International University to play NCAA Division I basketball.

But why trumpet something just to trumpet it?

Gilbertson, a 6-footer who can play any position on the court, committed to the University of Minnesota Duluth (NCAA Division II) at the start of the school year. The University of California San Diego and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside also offered her.

Gilbertson's decision was sweet music to the ears of Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett.

"I'm really proud of her," said Bennett, whose Bears opened their 2019-20 season with a 59-25 win over host Johnsburg on Tuesday night behind Gilbertson's game-high 15 points. "So many kids want that (D-I) label. Free is free. She found a place where she was going to fit. She'll play there all four years, they're a good team, and they're always in the running for a top 10 in (Division II). She'll have a great career there, and I'm just glad she didn't go for the label."

Gilbertson also didn't choose sunshine, passing on the warm climates of Florida and California and, instead, opting for the 7-hour drive to often-frigid northern Minnesota.

"Those places were just too far for me," Gilbertson said of Florida International and UC San Diego. "I definitely knew I wanted to stay closer to home, and my entire side of my dad's family lives in Minnesota, so I have been up there probably every summer of my life."

Easy choice then. Duluth delivered.

"I didn't need to go Division I (for basketball)," said Gilbertson, who averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season, while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the foul line. "There wasn't that pressure for me. I visited the D-I's and the D-II's, and I just realized I loved the coaching staff and the girls at Duluth, and I could see myself there. For me, it was the perfect fit over the other places."

Besides, Duluth, a port city on Lake Superior and close to Canada, offers its own beauty.

"It's beautiful," Gilbertson said. "The city is up and coming, too."

She will bring her trombone north, no doubt. Her siblings - LZHS graduate Andrew, an Iowa State chemical engineering major, eighth-grader Anna and sixth-grader Leah - also play the trombone. All four kids can dribble a basketball.

Gerry Gilbertson participated in marching band in college, and his wife Gretchen did so in high school.

"It looks easy, but a lot of time does goes into it, practicing and memorizing," Ella Gilbertson said. "It's definitely different from sports, but it's the greatest balance to it."

Hitting jump shots, hitting right notes, reading defenses, reading music, performing in front of big crowds while proudly wearing the school uniform. Victory is victory. Teamwork is teamwork.

"I am not the best at my instrument, but (marching band) takes a lot of work and attention to detail because it doesn't sound good if you're not focused on anything," Gilbertson said. "I think the thing with basketball and music is that it's a lot of attention to those small details and focusing on stuff that doesn't seem like it would important but it actually is."

That sounds right.

•Follow Joe on Twitter: @JoeAguilar64

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