One of a quartet of returning stars for Atiba Lyons’ B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Prentiss Nixon finished his debut campaign for the Yorkshire club in red-hot form.
With the inaugural Super League Basketball campaign just days away from tipping off, the 27-year-old Illinois native gave his thoughts on the Sharks’ prospects this year.
“There’s a different approach for me this year, coming in for my second season and being one of the returners… it makes me a veteran of sorts, even though I’ve not been here a year yet, but I know what Coach Lyons expects and that’ll help me help the new guys a lot.
“As ever, we’ll hang our hat on our defence because that’s where we excel as a group, and the offence will figure itself out along the way. We’re going to get stops, be aggressive, get in everybody’s faces for 40 minutes and not let up, and with that as a foundation we can be great.
“We’re not going to be a team with one star that gets us 20 points a night and everybody else does their bit around that. We have a roster of guys that can all step up and contribute numbers in volume, and we’re going to win by committee – not by a one-man show.
“Our mindset has to be one of a title-winning team, and when we bring that approach we’ll have those winning habits every day. We’ve got that DNA in this team and it’ll go a long way for us, because we have a deep roster with a lot of talent and we’re not coming into the season to be a part of it. We’re coming to give everything and win it all.”
Reigniting the fire
It’s hard to imagine for anybody who has watched Nixon in action, but the 27-year-old confessed in conversation with the SLB that he was beginning to lose the ‘fire’ for playing the game before Coach Lyons came calling last winter to bring the American guard onboard.
It’s no coincidence that as the Iowa State graduate found his swagger when the season progressed last year, his and the team’s performances found new heights. Nixon discussed the process of rediscovering his best basketball and why he’ll always be grateful to Sheffield.
“In high school I found my niche, which was being a gritty player on both ends of the floor, playing with passion and fire and trying to get everybody on and off the court involved in willing the team to win. When you play with that energy and grit it raises everybody to another level.
“Last season here in Sheffield felt like that in some ways, because I became more confident and expressive in myself as the season went on and my performances improved so I was able to help the team more. It’s important to be who you are in life and on the court and when I did that more last year, I felt like I did better and I helped the team be better as well.
“I’ve never cared about being the strongest, the fastest, the biggest – all I’ve wanted to do since day one is leave everything out there on the floor and inspire people to do the same, because when we do that we can beat anybody.
“I’m so grateful to Sheffield. Before I came here I felt down and out, struggling to find my way in the game, but as soon as I got here I fit in straight away and started to get that fire and passion back, so I want to repay this city for giving me that by leaving it all out there for them.”
Love at first sight
First playing the game at six years old, Nixon was hooked on hoops at just six years old and has since gone on to enjoy a stellar collegiate career where he played alongside four future Olympians at Iowa State – NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, Germany’s Nick Weiler-Babb, South Sudan’s Marial Shayok and Puerto Rico’s George Conditt IV.
“The game has always been in my family so from a young age I just fell in love with it,” Nixon said.
“I love the competitiveness, the adrenaline the game gives you, the obsession with perfecting your craft and how you always have a goal to chase every time you practice.
“I tried baseball, American football, track and field, but the love I had for basketball was different. I love the energy it brings out of people and the competitiveness to talk trash and play with that edge and fire and all of that just inspired me from a young age.
“As a kid I played with the aim of getting a free education through college, but once I got to the NCAA I realised the dream of being professional was within reach so I kept putting in the work, competing with and against players who have gone on to be some of the best in the world, and believing in my capabilities to the point where I’m now here enjoying a great career.”