After spending the last year back in Liberty and coaching at William Jewell, former BlueJay standout has joined the coaching staff at Louisiana State University. Let's catch up with Nick and his family.
1. First, update us on your family:
Meagan and I celebrate our 9th anniversary today, Sept. 15, 2009. She continues her wonderful work at home with our two children, Annie Lee (5) and Tate Nicholas (1), and is excited to deliver our 3rd child at the end of October after a relatively healthy pregnancy. Annie started kindergarten - she likes her uniform, recess, and doing homework (sometimes). Tate is walking/running and says a few words like "ball" and "daddy" - my two favorites. He can say a couple other words as well. Overall, we are healthy and enjoying our experiences here in Louisiana.
2. How’s life in Baton Rouge…little different than Liberty & Palo Alto?
Baton Rouge is a great city to live in. We haven't spent much time in downtown, but we did enjoy the July 4th fireworks on the bank of the Mississippi River, which is blocks from downtown Baton Rouge. The weather is hotter and more humid, and just as unpredictable as Missouri weather can be. Here we are preparing for hurricanes, instead of tornadoes (MO) or earthquakes (CA). Throughout the city there are a lot of trees and many of the local neighborhoods are tucked away, which is quite nice. Now that school is back in session, the traffic has picked up and it can be very sloooooowwwww moving at times. I spend most of my working days on campus, which is really nice. Similar in architecture to Stanford because the same architect designed both schools way back when. The athletic facilities are outstanding - hard to describe them. Probably best to check them out online at www.lsusports.net.
3. How did the LSU position transpire and what are your duties?
After working for Coach Holley at William Jewell College, being around Coach Stirtz and the Liberty Blue Jays, and many of my former Blue Jay teammates, I realized this spring that I wanted to continue in the coaching profession. So, I called Coach Johnson at LSU during April, along with other coaching contacts, to see if I could rejoin the NCAA Division I coaching ranks. Coach Johnson said a position would be available and that got the ball rolling...My duties include liaison for the Head Coach, a student-athlete personal development program, assist in recruiting research and on-campus recruiting, organization of basketball office, supervision of student-office assistants, coordination of events, booster club fundraising and events, budget management, summer camp director.
4. Coach Johnson admires you a lot to hire you at 2 different schools. What’s it like to play for and coach with Coach Johnson?
Coach Johnson is a competitor and a winner. Playing for Coach Johnson during the 2004-05 season was a great experience. He helped me develop as a player - especially at the wing position - and helped lead our team to the NCAA tournament despite many ups and downs during the season. He made the transition from Coach Montgomery (who went to the NBA) and an unfogettable 2003-04 season manageable and gave our team an opportunity to win games.
Working for Coach Johnson has been fantastic. His detail and preparation have made him one of the top coaches in the country. I feel fortunate to get a chance to learn from him every step of the way at one of the top programs in the SEC and nation. In addition, he has other great coaches around him who I've been fortunate to learn from.
5. How does the SEC conference differ from the PAC-10 in terms of style of play, quality of teams, etc?
The SEC is competitive from top to bottom and teams are a little more athletic than in the Pac-10. The SEC is split into East and West (LSU is in the West) which differs from the Pac-10. Style of play is probably a little more physical than the Pac-10, but that changes from year to year. Both conferences have great coaches and continue to gain national recognition when it comes to March Madness.
6. How important is the off-season at the D-1 level?
The off-season is critical to the development of a D-1 program. From a player's perspective, the time in the gym working on skills is the number one priority. Playing the game 5-on-5 is also important, but in the sense you try to work on your weaknesses and improve. Conditioning and resistance training are very important as well to improve your physical body and mental toughness. From a student's perspective, the summer is a great time to get extra coursework in before the season. From a coach's perspective, recruiting is probably the biggest item on the agenda. Preparing for year's to come and the next season take up most of the time during the off-season.
7. Who is the best teammate you’ve had and why?
The best college teammate I had was Matt Lottich. Matt and I arrived on Stanford's campus in 2000 as freshman. Matt was the ultimate competitor - he would do anything to win. He was unselfish, a great shooter, worked hard on his game, pushed me to be better, and was a great person off the court.
I have had GREAT teammates at every level of competition. A special shout out to all my Blue Jay teammates from 8th grade to a State Championship (the first of many more to come). We had some great times both on and off the court.
8. Who was the best player you had to guard and why?
The best player I had to guard was Casey Jacobsen - my college teammate. Casey, a 2003 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, was relentless when I was guarding him. He could shoot the deep (very deep) three (when I thought he was to far out, he'd shoot it and make it every time in practice), moved well off of screens (changed pace well), and was strong enough to get in the lane off the dribble (he used his shoulders well).
Other great players I've been fortunate to defend:
Josh Childress - Stanford, 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, Olympiacos in Greece
Andre Iguodala - Arizona, 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, Philadelphia 76ers
Luke Walton - Arizona, 2nd Rd NBA Draft Pick, Los Angeles Lakers
Luke Jackson - Oregon, 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, NBADL
Brandon Roy - Washington, 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, Portland Trailblazers
Arron Afflalo - UCLA, 1st Rd NBA Draft Pick, Denver Nuggets
9. What are your best memories playing in Cokely?
The reunion we had there was a blast - I guess that's the most recent.
Winning our final game in 1998 at Cokely (senior night) before heading into playoffs was another special night.
The first time we scored 100 points in a game at Cokely.
Practice!
The Fans!
Coach Nusbaum going crazy on the sideline : )
10. What advice do you have for the BlueJays as they prepare for the season?
Do your best to learn your role, be the best at your role, and give everything you can for the TEAM!
Go Blue Jays!
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