Nate Chambers, a freshman, walked onto the Kinkaid basketball scene this winter and, ever since, he has thrived.
Chambers began his basketball journey as a student at First Baptist Middle School. Growing up loving the game, he put tireless effort into his craft each and every time he stepped onto the court in practice or in games.
“I pride myself most on my work ethic and dedication. I’m always looking for ways to improve my game and help the team succeed,” Chambers said.
Chambers entered Kinkaid’s ninth grade this year, lacking experience entering the season. He was new to head basketball coach Terrence Botts’ system, but Chambers put the time in during the summer and in the preseason to learn all the new plays, formations and defenses.
Once the opportunity arose to make the varsity basketball roster during tryouts on an underclassmen-heavy team, Chambers took the chance by storm.
“Although tryouts were definitely nerve-racking and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the team, I gave it my all,” Chambers said.
From day one of tryouts, his coaches and teammates were impressed by his talent and intelligence on the court.
“You could tell he had special talent from the jump,” sophomore and leading three-point shooter Peter Liuzzi said. “He can shoot the lights out and is a very smart player.”
After Chambers made the team, he worked his way into a more influential role, playing a lot of minutes in key situations and being relied on heavily by the team to score. As a sharpshooter, Chambers’ main role is shooting from the corner.
“I love this spot because it’s the place where I feel most comfortable on the court, and it is the easiest for me to score,” he said. “Shooting from the corner just feels natural to me. I’ve been practicing that shot for years, and it’s become my go-to spot on the court.”
With the help of his corner threes, along with other shots and an 88% free throw success rate, Chambers is one of the leading scorers on the team. Although this season has brought many close losses for the Falcons, the team feels there’s reason for hope because of underclassmen like Chambers.
“My goal for the team this season is to make the team better. We’ve got a lot of talented young players, and I think we can definitely improve by focusing on our communication and teamwork,” Chambers said.
