MALTA — Injuries and academic issues kept many players on the Kishwaukee College men’s basketball team off the court last season. Those concerns didn’t stop former Rochelle standout guard Caleb Gould from breaking out during his freshman season with the Kougars, and the Hub graduate has emerged as a sophomore leader for Kishwaukee this winter.

Gould’s 3-point shooting efficiency (43.4 percent his freshman year) allowed him to emerge as an effective scoring option last year, averaging 11 points per game. Gould has stepped his game up as a sophomore, though, averaging 14.1 points per game while dishing out 4.0 assists and grabbing 3.9 rebounds per game.

The former Rochelle guard leads Kishwaukee with 2.1 steals per game, and his best efforts this season included scoring 23 points and notching seven steals in an 89-55 victory against Harper College on Nov. 3. He tied his season-high scoring output with 23 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range against Elgin Community College on Nov. 27.

“This team is more competitive than last year and when you are winning, it makes the game fun,” Gould said. “We get everybody’s best game and it’s a lot more competitive than last year. I’m a team captain and I stay positive and try my best to motivate everyone around me. This team has talent, and it’s special when we all stick together.’

The Kougars are 9-6 through 15 games this season. Gould has appeared in every game, and he’s started 14-of-15 games this winter. Gould said he’s happy with how his sophomore season has gone, and he said his mental understanding of the game has improved most from where he was during his freshman year.

“The area I believe I have improved the most is just understanding the game more,” Gould said. “Basketball IQ and understanding the college game more have helped me. I have improved on being a more vocal leader. I think I can improve on everything because I can always do better.”