Nathan Elliott '23 Recruiting Profile

  I graduated from Antelope HS this summer and it has been a long 4 years here. When I say a lot, that's not a negative as I had so much opportunity to grow not just as a ball player but as a person through everything that I went through. As a Freshman, I was one of the highest scoring players in the program and that's what that team needed from me at that time. My Sophomore year was a year that truly tested me as I injured my ankle in the fourth game of the season and didn't get back from injury until the second to last game of the season. My Junior year started off the same as a month before the season I was injured in a drill and didn't get back on the court until right before the season. We had a stacked team and I played my role of being the best teammate I could while working to get myself into playing shape and began to set the stage for what I was my senior year... our stopper. My senior year I knew there would be sacrifice so I leaned into that role and guarded the other teams best players or whoever was on that night. Most nights I guarded 1 thru 4 regardless on team and a couple nights was even called on to guard 5's. Most guards want to score, I can do that too but I take pride in making sure whoever I'm guarding has the most exhausting night of their lives and nothing comes easy.

   I started playing basketball when I was 8 years old after being encouraged to go to a skills camp by my first coach Sandy Dorn.  She saw something in me that I didn't know that I had as I had never really played organized sports before.  Shortly after the camp she formed my first team and we started playing in the local leagues and eventually AAU.  I was hooked!  I've been fortunate enough to play a good amount of AAU basketball on some good teams and learned a lot about the game and how I can help teams win.  To me it's always about the team and what they need, score when needed, defend at a high level or get my teammates going to make us tough to defend.

   Some of my accomplishments outside of basketball include, Second Team All-League due to my work on the defensive end of the floor, Honor Role during my Senior year from maintaining over a 3.0 GPA all year,  received kudos for my essays in English and coaching kids in the same skill clinics I first set foot on a basketball court on the weekends.  I enjoy being able to give back some of the knowledge I have been given as I've been lucky to have some good coaching as I am learning the game.  I believe that you don't always have to be the loudest to be the leader and my personality and play earns me respect every time I step on the court and everyday that I'm in the classroom.  Thank you for taking the time to read my personal statement.