BY GWEN HAYES
Sentinel Editor
A local basketball player, who has gone off to college and made a name for himself as a freshman, made his first appearance Wednesday night in a NCAA tournament game.
Andre Nation, a graduate of Durant High School who played his prep basketball at Faith Baptist Christian School, is a 6’5” guard on the James Madison University (JMU) basketball team. JMU is in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
As a freshman player, Nation made his mark at JMU. Early in the 2012-2013 season, he earned the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year honors. His first basket as a college player was a 3-pointer against UCLA.
The JMU Dukes are champions of the Colonial Athletic Association conference and the No. 16 seed in the East Region.
In last night’s (Wednesday, 3-20) game in Dayton, OH at the University of Ohio Arena, the Dukes faced LIU Brooklyn. The Dukes won the game 68-55. TV announcers referred to Nation as ‘The Stats Stacker.’ Wednesday night he had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. At the half, the game’s score was 32-31, JMU.
With 4+ minutes left in the game, the Dukes went on a 13-2 run, extending their lead.
Andre’s coach at Durant, Trent Tice invited Durant coaches and teachers to watch the game with him on Wednesday night.
“I coached Andre as a freshman when I was the head JV Coach and then received the Varsity job his junior year, so we did spend a lot of time together.
“Andre is the first Division I basketball player Durant has ever had and it is a great experience with him being in the NCAAs.
“Andre always had talent, but I have enjoyed watching him grow into a young man from a cocky 14-year-old freshman to a serious Division I basketball player.
“I enjoy the fact that we can call each other friends. We still talk or text each other every once in a while, and it’s fun watching him on TV and Sportscenter, living his basketball dream.”
The Dukes, #16 seed, will play Indiana (27-6), #1 seed, on Friday on TBS.
Nation, of Plant City, the son of Victoria and Larry Nation, has known that he wanted to play basketball in college since the age of 13. He is studying Sports and Recreation Management. He says he chose this college major “because if I don’t make it in basketball, then I want to be a coach.”
Other Players In NCAA Tournament
Other local players in NCAA tournament games are Derick Beltran, a 6’4”, 185 pound senior guard at Southern University. Beltran (#2) graduated from Riverview High School. He attended Tallahassee Community College before transferring to Southern.
The Jaguars (23-9) take on Gonzaga (31-2) Thursday night.
Evan Ravenel (#30), a senior at Ohio State University, is a graduate of Brandon High School. Before transferring to Ohio State, he played at Boston College.
Ravenel, 23, gets lots of clock for the Buckeyes.
The 6’8”, 260 pounder is the son of Pamela and Eugene Ravenel. He has a younger sister, Erin.
The Buckeyes (26-7), #2 seed, will Iona (20-15), the 15 seed, on Friday on CBS.
