Last season, Utah Tech’s freshman guard started in two of the 31 games he played in. This season, he’s started in all 20 games played thus far.
Noa Gonsalves, a sophomore environmental science major from Lehi, is giving his all to Utah Tech this season.
Gonsalves’ talent and work ethic have allowed him to make this type of jump, and there is a lot more to come from the sophomore. His 24 points and five-made 3-pointers in the win 13-point win against New Mexico State have not just shown everyone why he is an integral part of this roster. Rather, what he has done shows how truly dangerous this team is in the WAC.
Being born in Lihue, Hawai’i and moving to Lehi at the age of five, Gonsalves said he always loved the sport of basketball.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was in elementary school and fell in love with the game in the fifth grade,” Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves grew up playing the sport and made the Lehi High School basketball team as a freshman. During his tenure at Lehi, he was awarded three varsity letters and was a major factor in leading the Pioneers to the 2021 5A State Championship. In his senior season, he averaged 20 points, five assists and five rebounds per game and was named the Utah 5A MVP shortly after the season. Noa’s Career Stats at Lehi High School.
Despite an MVP-worthy season coming out of high school, Gonsalves had humble beginnings as a true freshman at Utah Tech. He played in every game his first season and had a career-high of 12 points.
Now come to the current 2022-2023 season, Gonsalves has already learned a lot about what he needs to do to improve.
“Playing any type of minutes can take a toll on your body, so the main thing I’ve learned is to take care of your body by doing rehab, stretching, etc-” Gonsalves said. “I’ve also gotten much more comfortable playing the game compared to last year.”
He has nearly doubled his minutes per game from last season, jumping from 18.2 to 32.7 this season. In addition, he increased in every major statistical category from his freshman year and has even gotten close to making a record of his own.
The current record for 3-pointers in a game is held by Isaiah Pope, a junior majoring in communications from Yorba Linda California, with six. Gonsalves has had three games this season alone where he has made 5 3-pointers.
Noa Gonsalves is turning heads this season, but he is still only focused on one thing.
“The main thing I am looking forward to as a team is winning games- ,” Gonsalves said. “For personal experiences, I’ve been blessed to be here at Utah Tech, and finding ways to get better every day is something I look forward to every day.”
