Back in late November, on a cold night in Elkhart, IN, I was visiting my grandparents with the rest of my family when my Dad spoke of a game occurring in historic North Side Gym that night between his alma mater, Elkhart Central, and Northridge high. If you have never gone to a game in North Side Gym, I promise you it's worth the drive (maybe even a flight for a true basketball gym guru). Something about cold weather and walking into a gym is just special, especially in Indiana. I can't quite put my finger on it, but most of you probably know that exact feeling I can hardly put into words.
Immediately, my eyes jumped over to a guy in warmups that towered over everyone else on the court. Dunking the ball was effortless, and the release on this guy's shot was quick and smooth. A confident player to say the least. His first REAL statement of the game came on a breakaway steal by the point guard, a toss to mid-court and a throw down tomahawk flush at the other end. Game on. I was tuned in. By halftime, the big man at 6'7 already had 20+ points and had put Northridge on his back. As you can imagine, Elkhart 'attempted' some better defense the next two quarters and hung in the game, but in the end Northridge came out on top. This was a matter of one team having one player who made the difference. By the way, he ended the game with 30 points which included 3 point shooting, drives through the lane, free throws, mid range elbow jump shots, aside from assists and rebounds as well.
That night, my Dad and I couldn't stop talking about how one player in green and yellow single-handedly one that game. Not only did he outperform everyone on the court, he was a great team player and played with true PASSION. He LISTENED to the coaches in the huddle and hardly showed any sign of cockiness. I'm here to tell you that this individual may be a preferred walk on next year for the Indiana Hoosiers…but make no mistake my friends, it won't be long. Needless to say, I haven't been this excited about a preferred walk on in my life. Welcome to the family, Nate Ritchie.
Just a small blurb below:
