MAKING HIS POINT

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For The Tribune

On the hardwood Nash Bottorff likes to take command from the point.

The Medora senior said he has embraced filling the role as point guard for the boys basketball team this winter.

“If we’re running a break or whatever, I look at numbers, and if we have more numbers than (the other team) we’ll try to score,” he said. “But if the other team is all back, then I look at the coach to see what he wants to do because he is the coach and you’ve got to listen to him and you respect him.

“You have to go off what the game’s been giving you the whole time and see what’s working and everything.”

Bottorff said he doesn’t have a preference of facing a zone or man defense.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “You’ve just got to watch what they’re doing and just play off that. The coach has given us a lot of plays that we can use against a zone or man, whichever one they throw at us at that time. I prefer taking the ball to the basket or pass it. When I drive I have more of a chance of creating for my teammates.”

On the floor, Bottorff enjoys running a fast break when he has an opportunity.

“That’s the best way to get easy transition baskets and stuff like that, and our team is pretty fast,” he said. “We don’t have that much height, but we can go pretty fast.”

He said he likes to press on defense when he thinks the Hornets’ press can cause turnovers or slow down the other team.

“The press, just like transition points, if they try to go to fast, and they’re not thinking right, then we can force them into a turnover and push the ball the other way whenever they’re not set up yet,” Bottorff said. “I like to play man-to-man because you can go one-on-one and if he does beat you, you can trust the people behind you.”

The senior’s basketball career started in Bloomington, and he later played in Oolitic where he got to know current teammate Kam Flynn.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a while and it’s my hobby and something I’ve always loved to do,” Bottorff said.

Bottorff said winning home games late in the season gave the team momentum heading into the West Washington Sectional, where they will open against Trinity Lutheran on Tuesday.

“I trust my teammates, my coach and everybody to be able to be competitive in the sectional,” Bottorff said. “I think practice is the biggest part. It’s not the most fun, but it makes you a lot tougher mentally and physically, and gets you prepared for each and every game. When we scrimmage it really prepares us for situations that we might come across each game.

“I like that the coach pushes us because it makes us even better. In any team sport you’ve just got to trust each other, and you’ve got to yourself and everything you’ve worked on to get better.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Name: Nash Bottorff

Parents: Tim and Jodi Bottorff

Sibling: Arie

Sports: Basketball, three years; track and field, one year

Athletic awards: Free-throw award

Organizations: Beta Club

Plans after high school: Attend Ball State University

Favorite food: Sloppy joes

Favorite TV show: “Friends”

Favorite musician: Kid Ink

Favorite movie: “Hoosiers”

Favorite athlete: P.J. Thompson

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Q: Why did you choose to attend MHS?

A: “I came here because it’s so small and everybody could get to know each other and be really close, and stuff like that. You know you teachers, and they’re able to help you out for everything.”

Q: Do you have a favorite away gym?

A: “My favorite is Southwestern (Hanover). That is my favorite because there are bleachers on every side, and the court had different colors of wood. It was pretty cool.”

Q: Do any of the wins from this season stand out?

A: : “I would think any win over Crothersville. We know a lot of them and they know who we are, and we look forward to every single game against them.”

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