Still going strong

It's another unremarkable night in mid-February because, let's be honest, most days and nights in February are unremarkable.

But what makes this particular Tuesday night remarkable is watching Rustlers men's basketball freshman Arnold Nandwa shooting baskets in full practice gear long before any of his teammates have arrived at the Lakeland gym. The regular season is nearly six months long, with 24 games thrown in, and well over 100 hundred practices and the 18-year-old hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm for the game of hoops. He's still going strong.

"He works really hard," Rustlers head coach Sheray Thomas said. "He does all the sprints. He's out there making guys work. He always has a good attitude. He's the guy who brings our equipment and uniforms to the gym. He's always checking on the guys, the guys are always checking on him. Whatever you need him to do he's out there. He's a player who was thanking me for putting him out there for an exhibition game, just for a couple of minutes. When you have player like that, as a coach, it makes your job a whole lot easier."

Exhale.

Anyone who has followed the squad this year knows injuries have been a thorn in the side of a talented basketball team with a lot of potential. It was an everyday reality long before the season tipped off in mid October. It's part of the reason Nandwa is on the active roster in the first place as opposed to watching in jeans and t-shirts.

"The plan was to red-shirt him, not waste a year, and get him acclimated to the college system," Thomas said. "With so many injuries, it was tough, and we had to throw him in the lineup. He came in with a positive attitude and he never complains whether he gets five minutes of doesn't play for four weeks. He always comes to practice, he's always competitive and he's improved a lot."

From a distance it doesn't appear Nandwa is part of the infamous 'me' generation of athletes, where it's all about stats, playing time, highlights and immediate respect when it hasn't been earned. The freshman could have left if he wanted. 

The Rexdale, Ont., native has played in four games this year and has accumulated 13 minutes of work, all of that in garbage time when the club is up or down by 20 points, with a few ticks left on the clock.

The five-foot-nine shooting guard was asked why he has stayed with it and that's probably a legit question to pose.

"To be honest it's the group of guys and coach Thomas," Nandwa said. "Even if I'm not playing, I feel like I'm playing because I'm on the bench. I feel connected with everyone else. If we win or lose, I feel just the same as any one on the team."

And the lack of minutes apparently isn't getting him down. And even it was, you'd never know it.

"I try to be as positive as possible," Nandwa said. "If you're negative it's going to trickle down to the next person and you don't want that to happen. You always have to be happy even when times are hard."

And at some undetermined point the present will tumble forward and become the future. When that precise moment will arrive, no can say, but Thomas hopes the rookie is still with the green-and-white when it happens.

"He can be a good player," Thomas said. "He can shoot. Right now he's relying on that too much when he comes in to the game. He can drive the hoop and he works his butt off. He has a lot to learn. At times, he's out of position on offence or defence but a few years down the line, if he can stick it out, he could be on a roster, hopefully ours."

"I'm developing," Nandwa added. "Every night I go to sleep I always say 'I just learned something new today.' I'm not a good defensive player but I feel my defence has improved tremendously because I'm always guarding Rustlers starters Terrell Murdaugh and Jonathan Sappleton. These guys are class athletes. I look up to them and they are teaching me a lot of things."

And when Nandwa does get into a game it's totally noticeable. He springs off the bench and on to the floor, bringing life to a game well devoid of it at that point.

The bench gets excited, the crowd gets excited when he launches a shot, and the players on the floor are always looking for him in the corner, by the baseline, or way out on the edge of the three-point line.

"When he gets in there the guys want him to do well, they want him to score," Thomas said. "In practice he brings it. There are days (in practice) when he comes in and scores and he's a menace on defence. I want to see that translate into the ACAC game. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a bucket this season. You never know, if we're rolling, he might get in there and score one."

Nandwa was asked how he envisions that first ACAC basket. Currently, in his small sample size, he is 0 for 6 from the field and 0 for 2 from three-point land.

Is it a buzzer beater shot from the corner to win a game? A steal at the top of the key, followed by a sprint to the other rim and one-handed slam that will surely get the crowd on its feet seconds before the ball gets violently propelled through the cylinder?

"A fast-break lay-up," Nandwa said while noting he doesn't care when it comes, just that it does.. "Those are exciting. A lay-up over a three-pointer any day. The first basket is always memorable."

Not even a dunk? That would sure be a highlight reel thing, something apropos for the 'me' generation.

"Hmm," Nandwa said with a slight pause. "Just the lay-up."

The teen hasn't started down the road to a memorable Rustlers basketball career. Truth is, he may not. But he appears thankful he's gotten this far.

"It's been a great adventure and something I'll remember for the rest of my life," Nandwa said.