High school boys basketball

Sugar Bowl

smetzger@MorningJournal.com

@SMetzgerMJ

Averaging 30.3 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game, there’s a reason Kyle

Inside Nader was called the Players of best player Week in the Boys

basketball county by

notes Vermilion

Top of Crop coach Kurt Habermehl.

But it’s Nader’s leadership that pegs him the standout of the Vermilion boys basketball team.

“His biggest strength is how much of a leader he is,” Habermehl said. “If you ask any number of coaches throughout the county, the first thing that they’re going to say is they’re amazed by how much he communicates on the floor.”

The Sailors had eight seniors last year, but Nader was named a team captain as a junior. He is the sole returnee, and his leadership has developed into a key asset. And his skills on the court have excelled over his three years on varsity.

The 2-2 Sailors started the season strong, securing wins over Hawken and Manchester in Week 1. Vermilion outscored opponents, 146-98, in Vermilion senior Kyle Nader has led the Sailors to an early 2-2 record behind an average of 30.3 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.9 steals a game.

Vermilion senior communicates well

Stephanie Metzger

those games with Nader at the forefront of the offense. He jumped from the leaderboard to the record book in the season opener, setting Vermilion’s single-game scoring record.

Nader scored 45 points in the first round of the Vermil- ion Tip-Off Classic to demolish the 30-year-old record set by Tyrone Trbovich in the 1984-85 season. Nader also tallied 11 rebounds and six assists.

“It felt great, just to go out there and be confident in my game and follow the game plan of the whole thing to really set me up for 45 points, which is a great experience for me,” he said.

Offense has been Nader’s strength, but he feels his defense has progressed over the last three years.