×

All the right moves

Champion’s Nasonti sets school mark

Special to Tribune Chronicle Champion’s Lucas Nasonti poses for a picture after setting the school record for points in a career. The point guard broke a mark that lasted for 17 years.

Hard-worker. Great person. Leads by example.

Those are just a few of the adjectives that Champion boys basketball coach Jamie Carrino (among other coaches) uses when describing Golden Flashes senior point guard Lucas Nasonti, who recently broke the school’s career scoring record when he recorded his 1,318th point last week against Mineral Ridge.

Nasonti broke a 17-year-old record previously held by current Maplewood boys basketball coach Nathan Kish, who was one of the first to congratulate Nasonti. According to Nasonti, the record was something he had been chasing all his life.

“Just coming in as a freshman, it was one of my dreams,” Nasonti said. “It was a goal I had always set out to accomplish. It definitely means even more (doing it with this senior class), it’s a little taste of success.”

That senior class, which includes Nasonti, Michael Turner, Noah Bayus, Zac Lindsay and R.J. Smith, have been playing together since about third grade. The class endured some early struggles during their freshman and sophomore years, but they have recently found success in their upperclassmen years, thanks in part to Nasonti.

Nasonti’s first high school coach, current Lakeview coach Ryan Fitch, remembers what it was like to coach a young Nasonti.

“Someone asked me that question (recently) and I said, ‘Lucas is a phenomenal athlete, great basketball player. But he’s an even more outstanding person,’ “ Fitch said.

“He was always easy to coach, no hard feelings if I got on him about something. If I criticized him, it made him better. (Nasonti) was one of the most enjoyable players I’ve ever gotten to coach.”

Coachable. That’s another adjective to describe what it’s like for someone who has had the privilege to coach Nasonti in his career. The coachable trait that Nasonti has in him certainly has paid off to this point, as Nasonti went from a raw athlete as a freshman to a well-rounded shooter from all distances, just three years later.

Leadership. Yet another adjective that defines Nasonti, an honor roll student and arguably the hardest worker on a blue-collar Champion basketball team. According to Carrino, that attribute likely comes from Nasonti’s parents.

“We’re just so proud of him. He’s just a competitive-driven kid and this was always a goal of his, something he always dreamed about,” said Nasonti’s mother, Terri. “My husband and I watched this senior class play since third or fourth grade, and Lucas will be the first to tell you, he couldn’t have done this without his teammates. To him, it’s more of a team accomplishment.”

Nasonti has made such an impact at the school that opposing coaches (and Champion alums) like Fitch can’t wait for him to graduate, due to his deadly jump shot and his seasoned ballhandling skills.

Kish, whose Rockets play Champion every year, can’t seem to forget the love for his alma mater, even when coaching at a rival school.

“I congratulated him and told him he had a great career,” Kish said. “Champion’s still my alma mater, and I told him, ‘Go win a district championship.’ “

As for Nasonti, as he reflects on his career, he says it’s been a “good one.” Nasonti says the arrival of Carrino, whose Flashes run a fast-paced offense, has helped his growth as a player, as Carrino allows “free reign” when it comes to letting Nasonti handle the offensive responsibilities.

As for the school itself, Champion has been buzzing about Nasonti’s record, which includes using a countdown of his points before he ultimately broke the record in a 34-point effort against Mineral Ridge, with his parents and grandparents watching.

For Carrino, the character of Nasonti makes it easy for so many people to root for him.

“The whole school, they’ve been excited for him. They’re very excited for Lucas, and it’s good to see,” Carrino said. “He’s that kind of person where you want to cheer him on. All he does is work hard, and it’s hard not to like that.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today