Prospect Spotlight: Jake Nichols (2020)
Last season, Boys’ Latin caught many by surprise by advancing to the MIAA A Conference Championship. On their journey, they upset the top-ranked St. Frances Panthers in their own gym. Although they came up short to John Carroll in the…
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Continue ReadingLast season, Boys’ Latin caught many by surprise by advancing to the MIAA A Conference Championship. On their journey, they upset the top-ranked St. Frances Panthers in their own gym. Although they came up short to John Carroll in the championship, they were able to earn the respect around the area.
Having said that, they would lose a few key seniors to graduation, including Jaylin Andrews (Loyola MD). With questions of whether they would have enough size or play makers on the roster, the Lakers were yet again being questioned as a top team in Baltimore. And again, they’ve started by proving those narratives wrong with a 7-1 record.
Senior guard Cam Spencer has been instrumental in filling the ‘play maker’ role, while junior forward Jake Nichols has been the lone presence in the frontcourt.
We caught up with Nichols after a big win over McDonogh, extending their winning streak to seven games.
“We’ve been playing really well as a team this year,” Nichols said. “On offense we’ve definitely gotten a lot of shots up and they’ve been falling. We’ve played really well on defense and are doing all of the little things like taking charges. I think Sammy [Grace] is going to have a really big year, same with Cam Spencer and Cam Watts. Kendall [Walker] is playing really well for us this season too. I just can’t wait to see how we continue to improve as this season goes.”
The Lakers lost to a good St. Maria Goretti team by four in their season opener. Since that loss, they’ve been on a tear. When you see this team in warm ups, they certainly don’t win the intimidation battle, but they are one of the smartest, most disciplined teams you’ll find on both ends. They know their strengths and they play to them in almost every case.
Nichols didn’t get much time last season on varsity. He played majority of the season on junior varsity where he dominated with his 6-foot-6 frame. When he got moved up to the varsity team, he knew that taking in as much information was mandatory so that he could be a big piece to the puzzle for the future.
“Last year I got to learn under Chris Bates who is at Dickinson now,” Nichols told Prep Hoops. “That was a huge help for me. He helped me with footwork and just how to be in the right position on defense. Especially on ball-screens defensively, just how to guard the guard coming off the screen and fighting to get back to my man who was rolling. Coming into the season, I knew I had to be our rebounding presence and effective inside, so I felt prepared after learning all that I did last season.”
Nichols has reached double-figures in scoring for many of the Lakers’ games. His two best performances came in a win against Friends when he finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, while the other was a 25-point outing in a win against Severn.
The 6-foot-6 forward has had a productive season thus far, but knows there’s still much improvement to be made in his individual game.
“Defense,” Nichols said as he reflected on the part of his game that he’ll focus on from here on out. “Just being able to stay in front of guys by shuffling my feet rather than running with them. When we play teams like St. Frances and I get switched on to a guard, I have to be able to hold my own until my teammate recovers. Coach has definitely been helping me with staying solid and not using my arms to stay in front.”
Transitioning to the varsity level isn’t easy. When you have senior leadership, it can make that transition a little less painful. Fortunately for Nichols, he has three in Spencer, Watts and Grace. Spencer has taken on the role of being the vocal leader and it has been evident.
He’s awesome,” Nichols said about Spencer. “He always tells me where I need to be if I do something where I cut inside when I should be popping out. He tells me where I’ll be open slipping on screens. He’s really good at moving the ball around on offense and good at getting the ball to me inside. He always knows when I’m going to be open. He’s always right where I need him as an outlet after I get the rebound.”
Shockingly, Nichols hasn’t received any interest from schools at this point. That could be credited to him sitting out much of the AAU season with a hip pointer injury in his growth plate. With continued production and the fact that he holds a 3.75 gpa, it won’t take long before they start calling.
“Academics are my main priority,” Nichols said in determining where he’ll attend college. “I want to have a good relationship with the coach and team. The location doesn’t make a big difference to me. Of course it’d be good to be close to my parents, but if that’s not where my recruitment takes me then it won’t hold weight in my decision.”