Northwestern University head coach Bill Carmody talks to Jeremy Nash (23) and Michael Thompson (22) during their game against Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston Saturday, January 23, 2010. Northwestern won the game 73-68.
John Konstantaras/Chicago News Cooperative
Jeremy Nash could have gone to high school at Corliss or Morgan Park and played high-level Public League basketball a lot closer to his home in Chicago’s Roseland area. Instead, he often rode three buses nine miles across town to Marist to get better academic preparation for college and beyond.
“It was a long trip, but it was definitely worth it,” Nash said. “Marist was a great school for me.”
Marist went 70-16 during Nash’s three varsity seasons. A limber, long-armed, 6-foot-4 guard, Nash attracted recruiting interest from more than a dozen universities, but it was no contest once Northwestern offered him a scholarship. The academic opportunity was irresistible to an ambitious youngster unfazed by the transition from rough neighborhood to elite-college campus.
“With his work ethic and his character, we knew he’d succeed as a Big Ten basketball player in an academic setting like Northwestern,” Coach Gene Nolan of Marist said.
Now a senior, Nash will graduate in the spring with a degree in learning and organizational change. He will explore pro basketball options at home and overseas, and he plans to coach.
But first, some unfinished business: securing Northwestern’s first N.C.A.A. tournament bid. The tournament has been taking place for 71 years, but Northwestern has never been invited.
The road got rougher Wednesday night when the Wildcats, already short-handed because of injuries, lost to Iowa in Iowa City. The loss left Northwestern at 16-8 over all, and means the team must win Sunday at home against Minnesota to have hopes for the tournament.
“We know the tournament talk is out there, but we don’t pay any attention — we just play,” Nash said. “Being a senior, I know I have a limited number of games left. I want some of them to be post-season games. This is what we set out to do when we came here four years ago.”
By “we,” Nash is including his injured classmates Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan; by “what,” he means making Northwestern competitive in Big Ten basketball. It has been done in football, and you’d like Northwestern’s chances in basketball if Coble and Ryan were not out for the season.
Coble, who led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding the last three seasons, has a broken foot, and Ryan, a versatile reserve, tore an anterior cruciate ligament before the opener. Coble — on crutches nearly two months after surgery — is his teammates’ most ardent supporter.
“This is the year we were pointing for,” Coble said. “A lot of guys have stepped up, but you really have to credit Jeremy and the coaches for keeping it together. Some people questioned Jeremy’s offensive skill set, but he’s worked so hard and become a real threat from the wing.”
Nash knew he had to do that.
“It was pretty devastating when we heard about Kevin and Jeff,” he said. “But we got together, and I told the guys, ‘We’re all basketball players, we’re on scholarship and we’ve got a season to play. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, so let’s go play.’ ”
Always an active defender at the top of the Wildcats’ 1-3-1 zone, Nash has nearly tripled the 3.1 points-per-game scoring average he brought into this season. The fierce resolve evident in his play at both ends of the floor has been just as significant.
It showed in a 73-68 victory over Illinois in late January. Nash buried a three-pointer with 5 minutes 22 seconds left to give Northwestern the lead for good, finishing with a career-best 22 points. On Illinois’s next possession he drew a charge from Demetri McCamey, a lost possession for Illinois that helped seal Northwestern’s victory.
Big plays at big moments. The stakes require it.
Nash made another one last week against Indiana. The Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd had grown restless watching Indiana shave nine points off the Wildcats’ 20-point lead when Nash returned to the floor with 6:19 remaining. A rapid-fire burst of energy began when Nash took off on a drive, ignored a hard foul and then completed a three-point play for a safe 65-49 lead.
Game over. Tournament hopes still alive.
Nolan, the Marist coach, saw Nash’s determination from his first day at the high school and moved him to the varsity midway through his freshman season.
Nolan will be in the stands at Welsh-Ryan on Feb. 25 when Northwestern honors Nash on Senior Night. “We’re bringing our whole team,” he said. “We’re really proud of Jeremy. He represents what we’d like all Marist grads to be.”
With or without an N.C.A.A. tournament appearance.
So glad to have been a small part of the road to success for Jeremy! Great job