Recruiting Report: Nick Vaver (2019)
Centaurus guard Nick Vaver broke out in a big way during the 2017-18 prep season, averaging 15.2 points a night and turning a lot of heads with a 40-point outburst against Thompson Valley. So far in his senior season, the…
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Continue ReadingCentaurus guard Nick Vaver broke out in a big way during the 2017-18 prep season, averaging 15.2 points a night and turning a lot of heads with a 40-point outburst against Thompson Valley.
So far in his senior season, the 6-foot-2 shooter has not matched his scoring output from last winter but there’s not much reason to think his recruiting stock has dropped despite his recent shooting slump. The fact is, Vaver was relied on to score a lot more last season and this winter’s emergence of other talented players like Owen Koonce and Nate Totel has positioned Vaver to play a more well-rounded game and not simply focus on scoring.
Though the change has been a struggle for Vaver, it has helped turn the Warriors into a top-10 team in Class 4A.
“He would say that he hasn’t met his expectations from a scoring standpoint,” Centaurus head coach Travis Maron said. “But it’s all the other things like the ball-handling, rebounding and defending that he’s really improved this season. He’s so reliable in so many other areas that he’s such a big player for us even when he’s not shooting the ball well.”
With just a couple of games left in the regular season, Vaver is averaging 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assist and 1.1 steals per game. He’s shooting 27 percent from 3-point range, which is way below the 39-percent (55 for 141) average he posted as a junior. Vaver is, however, shooting 43 percent from the field.
Also a talented golfer, Vaver still prefers basketball and has been working with the Boulder Bulls in the offseason to improve his skill set.
“He’s loves basketball and he’s been working on some stuff over the summer trying to go the D-III route where he can have a good academic experience as well as play ball,” Maron said. “He’s also a talented golfer so we’ve encouraged him to explore everything. He’s a quiet kid but he’s a real competitor. I think that if he does get a chance to play somewhere, his best basketball is still ahead of him.”
At the next level, Vaver would be most valuable as a shooter. But while he still have plenty of room to bet bigger and stronger as he matures, Marson says Vaver is already strong for his size and can guard a number of opposing player types on the perimeter and in the post.
Though he hasn’t lived up to his own lofty standards thus far in 2018-19, Vaver still likely has enough of a track record to prove he could be a useful collegiate player.