Orem basketball: Jago De Piano profile

In mid-April, I interviewed Jago De Piano, and Orem basketball player and we talked about how much the team's 4A championship meant to him. Here is the article that will appear in the team's yearbook.

Jago De Piano:

On a team loaded with talent, he kept
the Tigers focused on its primary goal


By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Jago De Piano’s best memories of the Orem boys basketball season isn’t that of being a player. More importantly, he was a fan.

Prior to the season, he firmly believed in the potential of the Tigers and stuck with his plan to be part of the team. Coach Golden Holt said later that De Piano’s efforts was a constant reminder that the team’s goal was a state championship.

“The season was great,” said De Piano, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound guard. “Coach looked at me as a leader. I’m not as talented as the other players. I was more of a cheerleader on the team. I showed up at practice, played my hardest and tried to make everyone play their hardest.”

De Piano got into 10 games, mostly late when the outcome had been decided. He and the other five seniors started in Orem’s “Senior Night” game against Timpanogos, and he was on the court when the final buzzer sounded ending the Tigers’ 58-50 victory over Olympus in the 4A state championship game.

For De Piano, the experiences he gained during the season was well worth his efforts.

“The season was great,” he said. “I was in it for the long run. I knew we could win a state championship and tried to stay committed. I wanted to do anything to get that ring. (Not playing much) bugged me once in a while, but I did it for the benefit of the team.”

De Piano played soccer at Orem, but it was the basketball experience he’ll remember the most. He appreciated the team chemistry that was created and recognized its importance, even on a team with so much talent.

“It was amazing how are coaches were able to get a group of guys to connect with each other,” he said. “The chemistry was fantastic. With me being a senior, that was the way to go out.”

De Piano said his favorite memory was the feeling he had after Orem won state. One of the best photos taken of any Orem player this season was of De Piano celebrating immediately after the Tigers won the title game.

“I just felt success,” he recalled. “All the hard work paid off … finally. The toll that we had getting different coaches every year. We finally had one that stayed committed to us. It was great to go out with a bang.”

De Piano’s other highlights included the the exuberance he felt in Orem’s gym when the Tigers defeated Lone Peak in the Great Western Shootout, and he appreciated being able to share this season’s experiences with his brother, Tomas, who played on the sophomore team.

After graduation, De Piano plans to enroll at the University of Utah and major in civil engineering, but he said he will continue to follow Orem basketball and cheer on the Tigers.