Father keeps his late daughter’s legacy alive on the court

Autumn Giles died much too young. She still had so much to give, but illness struck and took her away from her family, her teammates and all of southwest Florida.

Her dad, her coach on and off the court, is now doing what he can to keep her legacy alive.

Robert Giles had a decision to make.

In 2013, his daughter Autumn was growing into a star basketball player, and he was living his dream as the boys’ head coach at South Fort Myers until he walked away from his dream to live his daughter’s.

“I gave it up and got to experience two state championships with her so that was pretty special,” Robert said. 

With Autumn playing a leading role, Fort Myers High School won back-to-back state titles in her junior and senior seasons and she wasn’t done.

Autumn went on to play collegiately at UMASS and Nova Southeastern then came home to coach.

Meanwhile, Robert returned to coaching girls’ hoops this time at Gateway High in 2021.

But after Autumn suddenly died, her dad couldn’t bring himself to coach again.

Until he got a text message from one of his players.

“She never says much and it just read, ‘Your daughter would want you to do what you love,’” Robert said.

So Robert is back on the sidelines, but doing what he loves is no longer easy.

“Just being in the gym, just being in here, coaching them every day, seeing their faces, it just takes me back to a place when I was doing it with my daughter,” Robert said. “That’s why it’s a tough season.”

His Gateway Eagles are 16-3, and his players said every time they take the court they’re ‘Balling for Autumn.’

“I’m glad that we could see and live in her legacy, at least,” Gateway senior Marsha Dorsaint said. “He’s all around a great dad, a second dad to be honest. I’m really glad to have him.”

The Eagles aren’t just balling for Autumn; Robert is coaching them to ball like her too.

“I never had to tell her to just play hard,” Robert said. “Do stuff that doesn’t show up in the stat book. There’s not a stat for getting the tip pass, jumping on the ground for a loose ball, all that stuff she embodied. I mean, I’ve got plays with her touching the mat on this end and making the layup on that end.”

Robert believes his job is more than coaching basketball, but coaching life lessons as well.

This season’s lesson? Keep moving forward.

“He gives his all and inside you know he’s hurting,” Gateway GBB Assistant Coach Megan Barrett said. “His family is hurting. His wife shows up to every game. She doesn’t miss a game, and I know that’s hard for her too. 

“They ball in the name of Autumn and they’re really doing it at a high level so I’m just super proud of them,” Robert said.

Robert said he believes Autumn is smiling down on him and his team.

The Eagles will continue ‘Balling for Autumn’ as they compete for their first district championship on Wednesday.