Throughout history there have been many father-son duos in sports. More often than not the son follows in his father’s footsteps by playing the same sport, but University of South Alabama men’s basketball player Gary “G” Redus had no interest in baseball despite having a father who spent 13 years playing in the big leagues.

“I played baseball one year when I was eight or ten, but I wasn’t good so I didn’t play anymore,” said Redus. “I’ve always been playing basketball though. I just liked it better.”

Redus’ father and namesake played in the Major Leagues from 1982-1994 for five different teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1982-85), the Philadelphia Phillies (1986), the Chicago White Sox (1987-88), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1988-92) and the Texas Rangers (1993-94).

Following his playing career, the elder Redus coached at Calhoun Community College, where his son served as a bat boy, before moving on to be an outfield and baserunning instructor for the Pirates. He is now a roving instructor in the Houston Astros organization.

‘G,’ the only boy and youngest of four, was only five years old when his father retired from baseball, leaving him limited memories of his father’s playing days.

“I don’t remember him being away that much”, said the younger Redus.’ “Everything I remember about him playing baseball is just bits and pieces. I don’t remember going to games. I just remember being in the clubhouse and living in Texas, but that’s it.”

The pressures of having a famous father never weighed on Redus’s mind.

“It really wasn’t a big deal. I’m not from the biggest city in the world so everybody knew him and they knew me. It wasn’t ever that big of a deal to me because he’s just my dad.”

Even though Redus was not a natural on the baseball diamond like his father, his dad is still one of his biggest mentors and fans. Redus claims his father even taught him a thing or two about basketball.

“Every game, I always know where he’s sitting and I always glance up at him and he’ll give me a little bit of guidance or help me out. My dad got drafted straight out of junior college for baseball, but he played basketball all through high school and in college. My dad knows about basketball and he can play. I’ve played with him, so I know he can play.”

Redus may have gotten his athletic ability from his father, but he certainly didn’t get his height. While his father stands at 6-1, Redus says he got his 6-6 frame from his mother’s prayers.

“My mom said she prayed for me to be tall,” said Redus. “She knew I wanted to play basketball and she knew being tall would help. I was 5-5 or 5-6 when I was in the ninth grade then all of a sudden I got tall. Nobody else in my family is tall.”

Redus is not the only member of his family to spend time on the hardwood. His older sister, Manisha, played basketball for the University of Alabama from 2000-04.

“Manisha and my dad always used to give me little tips,” said Redus. “We used to play one-on-one and I used to think I could beat her, but she was just so much bigger than me. She would spot me nine points and then beat me 10-9.”

After an impressive high school career at Decatur High School in Decatur, Ala., Redus headed to Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala., for a year.

“I was a qualifier out of high school so I only had to go to junior college for one year,” he said. “I was going to go back to junior college, but I thought if I could do three years in a division one program instead of two that would be a better choice. I thought it would be better to go ahead and get that experience.”

Redus spent his sophomore season at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., where he was named to the Summit League’s All-Newcomer Team before he finally made his way to South Alabama.

“Centenary announced that the program had been put on probation and couldn’t go to the conference tournament,” said Redus. “I didn’t want to do that so I decided I to transfer. I wanted to get closer to home because my dad was working and all my sisters were gone. I wanted to be somewhere where it wouldn’t be a hassle to just drive home if my mom needed me.”

There’s no doubt that sports are an important part of the Redus family and standing out in such a talented bunch is something Redus is working toward in his career at USA.

“My mom and dad are at every home game and my sisters come down for a few,” said Redus. “It’s a big deal to me, being closer to home. They came to every home game when I was at Centenary and that was eight hours away. I wanted my whole family to be able to see me playing college. I wanted to make a name for myself.”   

Redus has done just that, leading the Jaguar program over the last two seasons without relying on his family’s name.