NEW PALESTINE — It didn’t take long to realize that there was something special there.
When Trent Whitaker took the reins of the New Palestine boys basketball program in 2015, he had a good idea of what he could expect from the near future in his backcourt, having been with the program for over a decade as an assistant.
Maximus Gizzi, then in eighth grade, was someone Whitaker knew would make an impact once he suited up as a Dragon. Matthew True, a freshman on Whitaker’s first team, was a bit of a different story.
It was only a matter of time before True gave his new coach a glimpse into a bright future.
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“Maximus I kind of knew growing up as the kid we’re going to be counting on for four years,” Whitaker said. “Matthew’s a kid that his freshman year, I thought hey, he could help the JV team. And then when he got his first opportunity as a freshman, I’ll never forget it.”
The freshman stepped in at point guard during one game, his first real opportunity at varsity basketball. He calmly made his first shot, and Whitaker thought to himself that this kid must have some confidence.
He might have had a bit too much. His next shot came from way downtown, much to the confusion of his coach.
“He took his second shot from the Tiger Paw, and I was kind of like, what? And it goes in,” Whitaker said. “And he’s just got this big smile on his face, and I just looked at him like, we haven’t done anything yet. We just need to win. He just had this little smirk, and ever since then, just the confidence he has is incredible as a shooter.”
True wouldn’t play much the rest of his freshman year. Once Gizzi arrived the following season, the two would become New Palestine’s starting backcourt, a position they’ve maintained for three straight seasons.
Since then, they’ve accounted for nearly half of the Dragons total points scored, combining for 23.3 points per game in Gizzi’s freshman season, 28.7 points per game in 2017-18 and currently averaging 32.4 combined points per contest this season.
It’s been an impressive journey, one that actually started somewhere around 2011. Gizzi and True have been playing together for a long time, and that chemistry, that comfort of playing with a friend, has helped drive a big turnaround in the New Palestine program since they both became starters.
“I think that a big thing that people don’t realize is there is kind of like a hidden chemistry, almost,” Gizzi said. “I kind of know what he’s going to do, he knows what I’m doing to do. If I pass him the ball, I think it’s going in, every time. We just kind of know at this point. I know where he’s going to be, he knows where it’s coming from. There’s just kind of a chemistry from playing together so long.”
Family ties
Gizzi has been around basketball for as long as he can remember.
When he was growing up, his father, Mike, was playing basketball professionally in Italy. His mother, Sarah, had been an all-star player at New Palestine (and is now its girls basketball coach).
Basketball was in his blood, but it wasn’t something he was required to do or even pushed toward, really, outside of having to attend his dad’s games.
He quickly learned to love the game.
“People assume that I was just kind of forced into it. But I think just watching games when I was a couple of months old, just seeing that, that’s one of the first things I learned,” Gizzi said. “I started to understand it more and more, and then by the age of 2 or 3, I was like, ‘I want the ball. I want the ball.’ When I was like 4, my dad put a basket up on this big patio we had overseas. That’s where I started to fall in love with it.”
Once the Gizzi family moved back to the United States, it didn’t take long for the True and Gizzi families to connect.
Doug True, Matthew’s dad, texted Mike Gizzi to ask if Maximus would like to play on a team with Matthew.
A fourth-grader at the time, Maximus Gizzi jumped at the idea to play with older kids. By that point, he loved the game. He was all in.
That’s when he met Matthew True, who took a similar but different path to the basketball court.
“I started at a young age. I got a little hoop with a ball. (Maximus has) played with the same ball; it’s been around for like 18 years,” True said. “I’ve always loved the game, and just having my dad — he played both basketball and tennis — just looking up to him and wanting to do what he did was a key factor for me.”
They both started playing the game at a young age and developed a passion for it. The two have played together ever since.
‘A lot of wins’
Once they started taking the court alongside one another, Gizzi and True started winning.
They haven’t really stopped doing that, either.
“In general, a lot of wins,” Gizzi said of his favorite memories playing with True. “A lot of wins, especially growing up young, I felt like we were winning games a lot on the weekends.”
“Especially in Indy Hoops,” True added.
“I remember my fifth-grade year, his sixth-grade year, I remember we won the Indy Hoops tournament,” Gizzi said. “That’s a pretty memorable thing. That’s pretty big league. Then high school, I don’t know, there’s so much. Together every day of the week. Team dinners, game days. There’s a lot of good memories between the two of us.”
The two simply mesh well on the court. Gizzi is the Dragons’ main point guard, but True can handle the same duties and brings the ball up court from time to time.
After playing together since elementary school, they’ve made one another better and complement one another’s games well.
“He can shoot the crap out of the ball,” Gizzi said of True. “Passing to him, you feel like nine out of 10 times, 10 out of 10 times, it’s going in.”
“It’s awesome because he gets me open all the time, which is fun,” True said of Gizzi. “Plus, he can always score the ball and just do everything exceptionally. It helps me get freed up and helps me want to be a better player, like he is.”
True said the most difficult thing he’s ever done in his life is guard Gizzi during offseason workouts and practices.
That’s a tall task given Gizzi’s skillset, but it has made them better players.
“What makes him such a great player is he can just do anything,” True said. “Anything it takes to win, he’ll do it. That’s what I admire about him. He can do anything, and does whatever is best for the team.”
On-court leaders
While True is a senior, Gizzi, now a junior, is more of the leader for the Dragons.
That’s just fine with both.
“They’re kind of two different kids overall. I think they complement one another real well,” Whitaker said. “Maximus is a little more outgoing; kids look to him as a leader. Matthew’s more of a, ‘I’ll take my role and go, don’t need to be a spotlight’ guy.”
Both play a big role in driving the Dragons toward success. Having an experienced duo that has played together for as long as they have is a pretty big benefit to their coach — “Luxury is the word,” Whitaker said.
They are able to identify trends in games. They analyze strengths and weaknesses. They are the epitome of floor generals, which makes their coach’s job just a bit easier.
“Those two can go back to two years ago and say hey coach, we haven’t run this play,” Whitaker said. “They love the game. They are students of the game. There’s things that during the flow of the game, they’ll see little wrinkles in plays. It’s a safety blanket for me. It’s going to be tough when they both leave.”
True has at least two games left, tonight’s Senior Night contest and Tuesday’s sectional opener against Greenfield-Central.
A two-sport standout at New Palestine, the next few weeks likely mark the end of anything more than recreational sports for the senior.
“I think my competitive years are going to be behind me soon,” True said. “I’m just going to enjoy college. The mindset is just taking it one game at a time and enjoying the moment. There’s only so many moments we have left to play.”
Gizzi has another year left, and he plans to play in college if presented with the opportunity.
“That’s what I’d love to do,” Gizzi said. “That’s been my ultimate goal since I was old enough to understand that. I love it, and I don’t want to be done with it any time soon. If I can play, I’m definitely going to play, I’m definitely going to take that opportunity.”
The two guards have helped take New Palestine from a 6-17 season in Whitaker and True’s first year to seven wins the following year and 15 wins last year.
The Dragons sit at 13 wins this season, and if True and Gizzi have anything to say about it, they’ll add a few to that total before all is said and done.
“They just want to win, and that’s what it boils down to,” Whitaker said. “Both of those guys are competitors. What can they do? They do so much for us, but they want to know what else can they do. How can we get somebody else involved, what do we need to do? That’s the nicest thing.”
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Maximus Gizzi and Matthew True have each had impressive careers thus far at New Palestine, combining to score nearly half of the Dragons’ points in each of the last three years.
Gizzi has led the way in points, rebounds and assists, while True has been a leader in 3-pointers made and shooting percentages.
2018-19
Gizzi 16.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.6 apg
True 15.7 ppg, 62 made 3s, 46% 3pt
2017-18
Gizzi 16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.7 apg
True 12.2 ppg, 61 made 3s, 41% 3pt
2016-17
Gizzi 12.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.7 apg
True 11.0 ppg, 54 made 3s, 41% 3pt
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