32 JANUARY 2015 | PRESTONHOLLOWPEOPLE.COM
S P O RTS
Injuries Don’t Derail College Goals For Troutt By Todd Jorgenson
People Newspapers Grant Troutt only recently decided he wanted to attend college in California, but it was much earlier that he made known his desire to play college basketball. In November, the ESD senior fulfilled both goals by signing a scholarship with the University of California at Santa Barbara. Troutt and his older brother, Preston, told their father more than a decade ago of their mutual desire to play college basketball. So their father, Kenny — a telecom billionaire and owner of championship racehorses — built a full-sized gym into the renovation plans for their lavish Preston Hollow home. Kenny Troutt also launched the Texas Titans, an AAU program that has become one of the most successful in the country, with one of his sons on each team. The Titans have since sent alumni to Duke and Kentucky, among other top programs, and they travel on charter flights to tournaments nationwide. Grant Troutt understands the perception that might come with such an upbringing, so he’ll begin college next fall with a chance to prove himself. “I want to go out and prove to people that I’m not some spoiled, rich white kid who was handed all this,” Troutt said. “I want to work and earn my spot.”
C H R I S M C G AT H E Y
ESD senior Grant Troutt will play basketball at UCSB next year. Troutt already has demonstrated his resilience and work ethic by battling through four surgeries since his freshman year — two on his shoulder and
one each on his hip and elbow — something that ESD head coach Corey Henderson said demonstrates his competitive fire.
“His work ethic is second-to-none. He’s always wanting to be first in drills and sprints,” Henderson said. “He’s always in the gym and always looking for a place to get better.” This season for the Eagles, he’s been thrust into the spotlight as a replacement at point guard for Henderson’s son, who is now a freshman at Wichita State. He’s also following in the footsteps of Phil Pressey, a former ESD guard who now plays for the Boston Celtics. Troutt was recruited by UCSB, a school in the Big West Conference, after the Titans played in a tournament in Sacramento last summer. The location was an ideal fit. “I always kind of knew I wanted to go there. I was looking at schools in California,” he said. “I just saw the beach. My freshman dorm is going to overlook the ocean.” Preston Troutt, who starred in high school at Trinity Christian, is a sophomore guard at the University of Pennsylvania. After a few years at Providence Christian, Grant decided to return to ESD, where he was a young student when he announced his hoop dreams to the world. By this time, he’s not about to let a few pesky injuries slow him down. “I worked so hard all these years,” he said. “I’m not just going to give up now.” Email todd.jorgenson@ peoplenewspapers.com
CONTINUED FROM 31 “We were too crazy and too hyper, so my mom thought it would discipline us a little,” Futscher said. “We’re not really sure where the gene came from.” Still, Futscher began swimming competitively when she was about 6 years old. Now she is the school record holder at Ursuline in six events, two of which she broke in November. Some of those marks were held by her sisters. Last year, she won the 100yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly titles at the TAPPS state meet, and was honored as the meet’s top swimmer. Then she qualified for the Summer Junior National Championships in Irvine, Calif. As a sophomore, she was part of a relay team that broke a TAPPS state record. “She has a lot of dedication and she’s a hard worker,” said Ursuline head coach Amanda Rieff. “She has grown into being the competitor she always wanted to be. After that, she realized how much talent she has and her strokes have gotten better.”