The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WE already know where he will begin his NCAA basketball career, but before he makes that transition, Nathan Bain hopes to end his high school career with a top national honour.

Bain, of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, was among the 823 seniors across the US who were nominated for McDonald’s All-American honours.

The list will eventually be cut down to 24 boys and 24 girls and those players will be invited to participate in the McDonald’s All-American game at the United Center in Chicago on April 1. Those names are expected to be announced on January 28.

During the early signing period for NCAA basketball, Bain signed his letter of intent to join the Stephen F Austin University Jacks programme for the Fall 2015 semester.

Bain, a 6’5” wing player and Grand Bahama native, is a  three-star recruit according to rivals.com. He is currently enrolled in the prep programme under head coach Kyle Lindsted for the Buffaloes at the institution which has become a pipeline for Bahamian talent in recent years.

Bain has posted a 69-9 record through three years with the Buffaloes.

Jacks head coach Brad Underwood highlighted what he thought Bain would bring to the programme.

“Nathan is a young man that I’ve seen for quite some time in the Sunrise Academy in Wichita, Kansas. He was playing a great deal of his AAU ball with Kansas City and Wichita area teams back when I was at Kansas state, so I’m very familiar with him. He’s been extremely well coached. He’s extremely high-motored and an elite athlete at 6-6,” he said.

“He scores the ball a variety of ways, but his energy and his motor are second to none. I think it is very hard to find a player like him today that plays with his energy level and passion. He is very dedicated to the game and a very mature young man when it comes to knowing what he wants out of basketball and what he wants out of school. He is also a young man that, in my opinion, can be an impact guy as a freshman. I’m very excited to get and to have him in this programme, because he is a multi-talented, multi-position guy. He can literally play anywhere on the court, and, more importantly, he can guard anywhere on the court. He fits our system, and I’m very excited about him and his upside.”

Nathan is the son of Norris Bain, nationally renowned head coach and administrator for the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons.

“He has got a very special family. It was a pleasure to go to Freeport, Bahamas, and meet his mom and dad,” Underwood said. “He has a terrific family environment at home and we are excited to have him and his parents as a part of our family.”

The versatile Bain is a high-flying wing player whose jumping skills netted a silver medal in the high jump at the 2011 CARIFTA Track and Field Championships.

Bain is one of three members of a signing class that also includes Lasani Johnson (Dallas, Texas, Bishop Dunne High School), and Coris “CJ” Williams, Jr (Powder Springs, Georgia, Hill College).

“We are elated about these three young men, because they meet the needs that we have. I think that offensively, we’ve got some very talented players. Having a skill set that fits our system is vital, so we’ve earmarked these young men from, really since we first got the job. They really meet needs that fit us and it’s a tribute to my staff and their hard work. They’ve done a great job of evaluating and recruiting these young men and finding the pieces that need to be replaced. That’s a part of college basketball, we lose seniors and you’ve got to fill in with guys that can replace those guys,” Underwood said.

“This is a very talented group. They’re athletic. They’ve got tremendous offensive firepower. They have a tremendous skill set, which I am very excited about being able to coach when they join our programme next season, but more importantly, they have extremely high character. These guys are good kids. They’re devoted to basketball. They’re committed to being great, and they’re young men that fit. They fit the SFA culture and the environment that we want here in our basketball programme, so I’m elated about having them.”

Bain originally signed an offer to attend Colorado State this fall, but chose to return to Sunrise Christian and its prep programme for the upcoming season.