*Nick has been an imperative part of Zane Trace’s success this season and rise to the top of the SVC standings. The junior is averaging 12.4 points per game and leads the league with an average of 1.7 blocks per outing. These are his thoughts on what this season has meant so far, what he expects the rest of the way and how close his team is, on and off the court:
So far, the 2018-19 basketball season has been a blast for my entire team and I.
It seems like no matter where we go, we have an energetic crowd on our side supporting us from the tip-off to the final horn. All of my teammates and I feed off of the energy our supporters bring to our games.
I have truly been blessed with the greatest teammates I could have asked for.
My teammates have been my best friends since kindergarten and I believe it shows with the chemistry we share on the court. Personally, I think the reason we gel so well with each other is because we are each other’s greatest supporters.
When Triton has a big block, when Cam drives for an and-one, when Colby gets a steal and score, when Luke has an offensive board, or when Chad and Bryce hit huge 3’s, I am the most pumped in the gym for them, as well as my other teammates that make up our bench, JV, and freshman squads.
We feed off the energy from each other and we find great success from doing so. We also continue to carry Tristan [Miller] with us in our hearts, and look to make him proud.
My team and I have set goals to win the SVC title and go deep into the tournament. We plan on doing so by listening to our fantastic coaching staff. Coach K is a wealth of knowledge; he has been in every situation in a basketball game that you can imagine as well as coach Dave Hammond. Donnie and Nate Jarrell were added to the coaching staff this year and they have helped us grow and mature as a team by teaching us about pride for our school, our community, and each other as, not only teammates, but as a family.
I have always enjoyed basketball above all other sports, but with playing under my current coaching staff and being able to see the growth in my teammates and myself from my freshman year to now, I have truly fallen in love with the game.
Often practice is looked at as a tedious and unenjoyable grind. However, I look at practice as a fun and valued learning process. My teammates and I challenge each other to do our best, which leads to success on and off of the court. We are really striving hard to reach the goals that our entire personnel have set for our team this season.
I was asked to write about my story “In My Own Words,” but any success that I have personally had would not have been possible without my teammates, coaches, and the support of my family, friends, and my entire community.
I value my team’s success more than any personal achievements.