Another Nash story

[MFFL]

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Nash nurtures his basketball roots
Feb. 7, 2002. 09:02 PM

Four buses full of pint-sized, wide-eyed Steve Nash fans will make the three-hour trip from Vancouver to Seattle next Tuesday to see the SuperSonics play Nash's Dallas Mavericks.

The trip is courtesy of Nash and his youth basketball program. It's also the latest example of how B.C.-born Nash gives back to his home country - another gesture that doesn't surprise his national team coach, Jay Triano.

``The fame that he's had, he's always wanted to share with a lot of the people around him, people less fortunate,'' said Triano, adding that Nash is genuine when talking of how deeply he appreciates being the first Canadian to play in the NBA all-star game.

``When he says he's playing in the all-star game and he's just really fortunate to be able to do it, and represent Canada, he truly means that.''

Triano will be working at the all-star game in Philadelphia this Sunday as an analyst for CTV, and will be among a huge group of Nash supporters. Nash has family coming from all over, including England, and his brother Martin, a former Canadian soccer international will also be in attendance.

The weekend is surely to be one of Nash's biggest achievements since he was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round, 15th overall, in the 1996 draft. Nash went to Dallas on draft night in '98 in a one-for-four trade.

This season, he's averaging more than 19 points and eight rebounds a night.

Triano and Nash go way back, to when Nash was a clean-cut standout in high school in Victoria, and Triano was head coach at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C.

The six-foot-three, 190-pound Nash has become the heart and soul of Triano's national team, leading the squad to a promising seventh-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, plus a berth in this summer's world championships in Indianapolis.

And when the Grizzlies left Vancouver for Memphis this season, Nash took over the kids program that Triano had helped develop under the Grizzlies' name. Over 8,000 kids play in the Steve Nash Youth Basketball Program.

The spotlight finds Nash more and more these days. The Mavericks, 35-14 and leading the Midwest Division, have become one of the most entertaining teams in the league, and Nash is a big reason. Fans love the way he plays on the edge, always looking like he's out of control, but rarely making mistakes.

Then there's his crazy hair, which earned him a spot among the five finalists for the Slick Watts Award on NBA.com, ``given to the hoopster with the best hair.

``Although Nash recently brought his shaggy 'do under control, it still takes on a life of its own when the free-wheeling point guard starts flying up and down the court,'' NBA.com says of Nash, who shares honours on the all-hair team with Allen Iverson, Moochie Norris, Latrell Sprewell, and Ben Wallace.

Then there's his high-profile love interests - Liz Hurley and Ginger Spice.

What surprises Triano is that, no matter how bright the spotlight, the fame continues to bounce off Nash like raindrops off a slicker.

``He's just such a normal guy,'' marvels Triano. ``We go into Humber College (in Toronto) for a training camp, and the room's so small you can touch both walls, and there's a bed there and no phone and no TV in the rooms, and he throws his duffel bag down and pulls out his guitar, sits on the end of the bed and starts playing.

``We go to Montreal, we go on a bus, and it's a school bus, and he gets out his guitar, and he and the boys sit in the back and he plays, and they just enjoy each other's company,'' Triano continued. ``That's what he is, he's a very normal guy, which is nice. It's refreshing to have a guy become that good being like that.''

Nash is the feel-good story of this year's all-star weekend … it would have been a crime, says his legion of supporters, if he hadn't been selected.

His Mavericks coach Donnie Nelson had said, ``If Steve doesn't make the all-star team, it'll be a sad day in the NBA.''

Houston guard Cuttino Mobley, after his team had been clobbered by the Mavericks, said: ``Nash has got so much. Nasty Nash. The kid's good. He does a lot of amazing things to be so small.''

Triano said he'll cherish the time he has coaching the 27-year-old Nash on the Canadian team, as he can't see Nash playing past the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

``It makes it fun coaching because he's such a coachable player. He's got ideas, and he's not afraid to express them. But he also doesn't want to be identified with being any different than any of the players on the team. He's not going to put himself above the team,'' said Triano.

``But I don't think Steve will play after the 2004 Olympics, so we'd better make a run now at the worlds and at the (Olympic qualifying tournament).''

On Sunday, Nash will be part of the all-star game's biggest international contingent yet, joined by Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia), teammate Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), and Philadelphia's Dikembe Mutombo (Congo).

He'll also participate in Saturday's three-point shootout competition.

[madape]

All-star booger

[Rod1975]

LMAO

[Murphy3]

we're lucky to have a person like nash here in dallas