In his first year as a Wildcat, senior guard Giordano Estrada has taken the men’s basketball program by storm, putting on a clinic for fans at Acker Gym with stunning 3-pt shooting displays and tireless defensive effort.

Estrada has been an integral contributor to the Wildcat’s impressive 7-1 regular season start, their best through one month of play in over fourteen seasons. In the first 8 games of the season, he has averaged 12 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game and an efficient 47% from the field.

“I was pretty much born into basketball,” Estrada said. “My love for the game seems to grow the more I play.”

It’s easy to love the game when you’re winning, and Estrada likes to win. A 2009 graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord, Estrada found success as a member of three North Coast Section championship squads. In his sophomore year of college, he helped lead Diablo Valley College to the 2010-11 Big 8 Conference title.

He developed an interest in basketball at an early age, crediting an older sibling’s encouragement for helping him realize his on-court potential.

“I was about six years old when I joined my first league, even though the hoops were only 7 feet high,” Estrada said. “My brother was the one who pushed me to play the game when I was young and since I was first able to walk, he put the ball in my hands and helped me develop a real love for the game.”

Loving the game hasn’t always been a cakewalk, nor was his journey to becoming one of Chico State’s most promising athletes. Before dazzling the Wildcat faithful, Estrada was playing an hour and a half down the road with Sacramento State. Unfortunately, back surgery forced him into an uncertain future.

“I ended up losing my scholarship at Sacramento State following back surgery in the summer of 2012,” Estrada said. “I didn’t want my playing career to end so quickly, so I searched around for any schools that were willing to offer me a scholarship. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to receive one here at Chico State.”

Estrada said his transition between schools was influenced by friend and former De La Salle High School teammate and current Wildcats big man Nate Appel.

“There is no doubt that playing with Nate helped my decision in coming to Chico,” Estrada said. “It’s made the adjustment so much easier, having known someone already on the team. From playing in one open gym last spring I knew right away I wanted to become a Wildcat and have the opportunity to play with a great group of guys.”

When asked to describe Estrada’s importance to his team’s lofty goals, Wildcats center Nate Appel couldn’t help but return to one word: essential.

“Giordano has been incredibly consistent with shooting the ball this season,” Appel said. “Every night I know he is going to come out and play hard. I actually think one of his best qualities has to be his toughness, both mentally and physically.”

Estrada said he recognizes how great his team could potentially be, remaining optimistic about his squad’s chances of making a deep post-season run this spring.

“I truly believe that we have enough talent this year to win our conference and make it deep into the NCAA tournament,” Estrada said. “After beating ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific, which definitely brought another level of confidence to this group, I’m more than excited to see how far we can go.”

Reflecting on his final season of college ball, Estrada said he is eager to close his playing career out on a high note, continuing his consistent play and doing whatever his team needs to succeed.

“I’m just hoping to bring a high competitive nature to each practice and game,” Estrada said. “Having this as my final season of college ball, I feel I can bring experience and leadership which will help these guys be prepared for any challenge we face this season.”

Taylor Maddox can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_sports on Twitter.