From game to game and in the district standings, the Colleyville Heritage boys basketball team is usually in or near the lead - but the Panthers never take it for granted. There's always someone waiting to catch them napping.
"We know that there are teams that are capable of scoring a lot of points real fast, so we just keep working," said Nash Nelson, a senior guard who's often among the leaders in points for the Panthers. "The next play, nobody cares about what you did earlier."Tied with Richland for first place in 6-5A at press time, Panthers coach Stephen Hamrick said Nelson exemplifies the approach his program must take in a tough district."He doesn't get caught up in the stats," Hamrick said. "It's more about the team and the results and that's what makes him a good player. It's about the process of playing well and what you can contribute night in and night out. You're not always going to shoot well, but you can control what you do on the defensive end."Nelson said a deep Panthers roster full of guys who can contribute helps keep the team out in front."We've got several guys that are very capable of scoring quite a few points on any given night, so some nights we might need someone to step up and guard somebody defensively," he said. "We've got a great team, we're not just a bunch of individual players out there playing. That's one of the things that's really big for us, is that we play really well together, we move the ball, we share the ball and we don't care which guy scores. It might be a different guy every night."In terms of skills, Hamrick said, Nelson does it all."He does a little bit of everything," the coach said. "He facilitates our offense, he's a fantastic leader, a vocal leader, and he is a doer as well. His words definitely match his actions. He's got the brains, he's got everything he needs to be a three-phase player every night."For his part, Nelson feels like facing stiff competition has brought out the best in himself and his teammates."You know, playing close games early in the season prepares you for later in the year," he said. "(First place is) where we want to be right now, but ultimately, nobody cares about what we've done so far. We've got 10 more games and we've always got something to prove. So we've got to go out every nightand play with a chip on our shoulder a little bit, play like we've got something to prove."Nelson plans to play for Harding State in Arkansas, where he's considering majoring in education or pre-law.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
