The Times Athlete of the Week: Seneca boys basketball’s Paxton Giertz

Winning 44.7% of the online vote, Seneca boys basketball star Paxton Giertz is The Times Athlete of the Week.

The two-time defending Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year hasn’t slowed down in his senior season, scoring 31 points in last week’s Tri-County Conference win.

Giertz won on a ballot that also included runner-up Cody Taylor (Streator boys bowling), Ella Derossett (FCW girls basketball) and Adam Waite (Earlville boys basketball).

Weekly ballots go online Mondays and are accessible via Facebook (The Times Sports) and Twitter (@jtpedelty), with voting going through midday Wednesday.

Here is a Q&A with this week’s winner:

Do you have any nicknames?

Giertz: I would say the only nicknames that I have are Pax and PG13.

How old were you when you started playing basketball, and what got you into the sport?

Giertz: As far back as I can remember I have been playing basketball.

What goals do you have for yourself as the season winds down and the postseason approaches?

Giertz: Even though as a team we are close, I would still say that my goal would be to try and get the guys to be even closer and also to win as many games as possible by as many points as possible.

As a three-sport varsity athlete, which sport (basketball, football, baseball) do you most enjoy playing, and why?

Giertz: I really like each sport, especially when I am in a specific season. However, basketball is my favorite to play because I have always had some type of hoop around me, and I just have so much joy when I’m playing it.

What’s your favorite subject in school?

Giertz: Math because it comes very easy to me.

If you could see any musical artist in concert anywhere in the world tomorrow night, all expenses paid, who would you choose?

Giertz: I would want to see Nelly because he has a lot of very good songs.

What movie would you say you’ve watched more than any other? About how many times?

Giertz: “Napoleon Dynamite.” I would say that I have seen it a couple hundred times in my life.

As your senior season winds down and school records and awards continue to pile up, is there one still out there you’re hoping to get this season?

Giertz: One record that I would still like to try and break is the single-game scoring record, which is held by one of my great-uncles.

Who was your favorite superhero as a kid?

Giertz: Spider-Man.

You and the team just scored a big victory and are going to dinner to celebrate. Where are you going and what are you ordering?

Giertz: One place that I like to go to after a big win – as crazy as it sounds – is McDonald’s, and I would order a Quarter Pounder meal and a McChicken.

Is there something about you that people who only know you through sports might find surprising?

Giertz: I am a very big Baylor University track and field fan.

You’re committed to play basketball at Hillsdale College. What makes it the right fit for you, and will it be tough giving up playing other sports competitively?

Giertz: It is the right fit for me because the coaches are just amazing, the entire campus and facilities are outstanding, and I also just felt like God was pushing me and telling me this was the right place for me to be. I feel like I will miss being able to play those sports competitively because I am a very competitive person, and playing for fun just doesn’t cut it sometimes.