6 | NPAR
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Gent twins overcome setback to lead NPYB team to success
Written by: Megan Hart
NPAR Correspondent
I
dentical twins Alex and Isaiah
Gent started playing basketball
when they were two years old,
and they have hardly put the ball
down since.
The Gent twins, now 13, are finishing
up eighth grade at Heron Creek
Middle School, and they are still
playing hoops. In fact, their North
Port Youth Basketball team recently
wrapped up a near-perfect 8-1
season. Given their on-court success,
it came as a surprise when the Gents
were not selected for their middle
school basketball team, but the boys’
coach and father, David Gent, said
they didn’t let it get them down.
“I told them, you have to make a
positive out of this,” David Gent said.
“You take from it, you build from it
and you let it motivate you to be the
best player you can be.”
The Gents seem to have done just
that, helping their NPYB team achieve
a 26.4 point differential through the
first seven games of the season. Even
more impressive, the Gent twins
averaged the same number of points
and assists per game, which means
that they were passing the ball as
much as they were shooting it.
“They involve everyone,” David Gent
said.
Having played together since they
were toddlers, the Gents have also
cultivated a unique chemistry on
the court, and their success in
basketball has helped them earn
some unique opportunities. Last
year, for example, they traveled
to their hometown of Atlanta to
participate in a basketball camp
hosted by the rapper 2 Chainz. on her recreation league team last
season, and she averaged more steals
than any other player on the squad.
The Gents played in a two-on-two
tournament, and they visited Philips
Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks,
where they saw a special 2 Chainz
performance. David Gent said the
experience was phenomenal. “Every day, they’re applying
themselves and working hard,” David
said.
A love of basketball runs in the Gent
family. The game has been a part of
David Gent’s life since he was a kid
growing up in Queens, New York,
and it has since become a family
affair. Not only do Alex and Isaiah
play, but so does their younger
sister, Isabella. She was the only girl
Both Alex and Isaiah Gent aspire to
play professional basketball, and their
father said they are always working to
achieve that goal.
Off the court, the Gents have a
passion for fashion. They save up
their chore money to expand their
sneaker collections, and they were
even voted “Best Dressed” at Heron
Creek.
The Gents have yet to decide where
Alex and Isaiah will attend high
school, but rest assured they will do it
in style.