#5 and Dimes

Nichols is Lansing's best and brightest

16 February 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

Move over Paul Crosby, Michael Kebler and Anthony Ianni. Clear the way Willie Brown, Peter Bunn and Sean Romsek. The man in the Lansing-area this season has game on the court and in the classroom.

Lansing Catholic Central's Aaron Nichols is Lansing's best in 2006-2007--and he is not yet a household name.

"Aaron is a tremendous player and a very good leader," said Lansing Catholic Central head coach, Darren Zwick. "He leads by example. He's our captain, our best player and our hardest worker--that's what makes him different. His hard work goes hand-in-hand with our success. Our other players see how hard he works in games and in practices and that makes us a better team."

It takes more than just scoring to be considered the best in this game, especially in a city rich in basketball tradition. And that is exactly what Nichols gives his team and his city--more.

This, of course, is taking away nothing from Nichols as a scorer--he is, after all, one of the top scorers in the Lansing-area. That being said, Nichols is more than a scorer; he's a player.

This past Tuesday night, Lansing Catholic locked horns with the Ramblers of Perry--consistently one of the top class B teams in the Lansing-area. The key to stopping Perry, it is no secret, starts with putting the clamps on senior scoring guard Jordan Sipkovsky--a task that is easier said than done.

Nichols went to work and locked down Lansing's most prolific scorer, giving up only two field goals during his stint as Sipkovsky stopper.

"Aaron is a complete player, and he' very good with the ball in his hands," said Zwick. "But on the other side, defensively, we often stick him out on the other team’s best player; he just came through for us that night on defense."

For the game, Nichols finished with 15 points leading his Cougars to a dominant victory.

Nichols' all-around game gives him the confidence to be able to handle the pressures that comes with success.

"I believe that I stack up well against other top players in the area," said Nichols. "I think I would be able to hold my own against anyone."

Nichols, the consumate team player, is also a point guard prototype at the high school level. He is unselfish with the ball and carries with him a passion for playing defense. For Nichols, the whole is certainly greater than the sum of the parts.

"My main objective as a point guard is to make my teammates around me better," said Nichols. "I try to get them the ball in a position where they can score and be effective," he said.

Two of his teammates, Mike Repovz and Max Gover, both averaging in double-figures this season, are together a testament to his ability to hit the open man.

Being sold out to the team concept has pushed Lansing Catholic into the foreground of the Lansing-area basketball scene, as the undefeated top dogs in the tough CAAC-3. Their 13-2 overall record puts them in the conversation for best team in the Lansing-area this season.

These marks are striking, if not shocking, when you consider their 9-13 mark just one season ago.

"Towards the second half of last season, Aaron showed signs," said Zwick. "He went over 30 points a few times last season and took ownership of the team. Coming into this season I thought he would be one of the top players in mid-Michigan."

Nichols has turned his full-time coach into a part-time prophet while churning out 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals per game this season.

Top basketball billing in Lansing is serious business, and for the Cougars it represents uncharted waters.

"I believe that we are starting to arrive at that level," said Nichols, apparently a Cougar for life. "If we can sustain this level of success over several more seasons, we will be in the discussion."

Nichols knows that being a winner takes time, hard work and focus on the task at hand.

"I always circle the next game on the calendar because that game is the most important," said Nichols. "No team should be overlooked or underestimated."

Nichols career at LCC is even more fruitful than helping to build a basketball program would lead you to believe. Nichols is not only one of the top student-athletes in Lansing, but also in the state of Michigan.

"Athletics are fun, exciting and challenging," said Nichols. "But academics have always come first in my family and in my life."

Need proof?

Nichols, who has been academic all-state the past two years with a grade-point average of 3.98, is receiving interest from a certain school in New Jersey you may have heard of--here's a hint: it's not Rutgers.

Before it's all said and done, Nichols may trade in his Cougars gear in favor of another cat from the feline genus.

“Princeton is pretty interested, and I believe their head coach is coming to see him play before the season is out," said Zwick.

No matter where Nichols ends up, mid-Michigan basketball fans can rest assured that he will be a difference maker. As good as Nichols is now, he is only going to get that much better.

"What many people do not know is that (Aaron) actually should be a junior according to his age," said Zwick. "He was accelerated in school because of his superior academics. He is going to have a totally different body two years from now and I have no doubt that he will be a very successful point guard in college."

Nichols and Lansing Catholic Central are set to take on Williamston at home Friday night at 7:30.

GLH thanks Alan Holben Photography for the great shots of #5. For high quality prints of players from all over the Lansing-area, visit his website.