Augustana Observer

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Augustana Observer

Sortillo makes impact as first-year guard

First-year+Dylan+Sortillo+makes+a+play+against+Wheaton+in+their+78-74+winning+game+on+Jan.+17.%0APhoto+by+Ian+Magnuson.
First-year Dylan Sortillo makes a play against Wheaton in their 78-74 winning game on Jan. 17. Photo by Ian Magnuson.

First-year Dylan Sortillo makes a play against Wheaton in their 78-74 winning game on Jan. 17. Photo by Ian Magnuson.
First-year Dylan Sortillo makes a play against Wheaton in their 78-74 winning game on Jan. 17.
Photo by Ian Magnuson.

First-year Dylan Sortillo’s successful high school basketball career has helped launch him into a recent key scoring role on the Augustana Men’s Basketball team.
Sortillo was not expected to fill this new role, as he did not play in Augustana’s first five games.
Yet halfway through the second quarter of the Jan. 17 Augustana-Wheaton game, the Vikings were down by 1 point until Sortillo made three consecutive three-pointers that helped ignite an 11-2 lead. Wheaton did not take the lead for the rest of the game following Sortillo’s play, and Augustana defeated Wheaton 78-74.
The team is currently ranked  number one nationally in Division III men’s basketball. Before the year began, Sortillo didn’t believe he would get any playing time because of the amount of talent on the team.
“I didn’t think I would actually be playing my first year because we have so much talent at this high of a level, with such great coaching,” said Sortillo. “My coaches and teammates have believed in me and had a lot of confidence in me to get in the game and make plays.”
Sortillo has averaged 8.6 points per game so far in CCIW play. Four of these five games have been at home in Rock Island, which is about 20 minutes from where Sortillo grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Sortillo grew up playing AAU basketball with the Bettendorf Hurricanes early in his basketball career, then switched teams and played on the Quad City Elite alongside Division I players CJ Carr and Ethan Happ.
As a junior and senior at Bettendorf High School, he played under former St. Ambrose All-American Curtis Clark.
Bettendorf was 49-3 and 3rd in state in 2014 under Clark’s leadership.
Augustana head coach Grey Giovanine believes that what Sortillo learned in high school is what has helped him get so much early playing time, but he didn’t expect the results Sortillo has given him so far.
“I thought he would have an impact early in his career, but a lot of it depends on how quickly the player can make the adjustment to the college game,” said Giovanine. “It is so much more fast and physical, but…he was taught a lot of the fundamentals that we teach and a similar philosophy of how to play the game.”
Junior guard Hunter Hill believes the small distance from home has helped Sortillo succeed.
“Anytime you pick a college close to you you’ve got good connections back home, whether it’s your family or friends,” said Hill. “But at the same time, Augustana is its own separate community, so you get the best of both worlds (here).”
With Sortillo getting the best of both worlds, he continues to help the Vikings produce wins during the conference portion of their season. The men’s next game is against Millikin in Decatur, Ill. on Saturday.

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Sortillo makes impact as first-year guard