Paving the Way - Nik Mains

PAVING THE WAY

From walk-on to fifth-year senior, Nik Mains has turned himself into cornerstone of men’s basketball program By Cassandra Hatcher

Coming to Northern Arizona University, Nik Mains knew what he wanted to accomplish from the start. The 6-8 Arizona native entered the men’s basketball program as a walk-on freshman in 2017, when he redshirted.

“I was obviously nervous, with it being my first time here and first time being without my family and seeing everyone so there was nerves there but everyone was welcoming and really helped me get through everything,” Mains said. “I’ve had some hard times but my ultimate goal was to make sure I get a scholarship and get better every single day. With my teammates and the coaching staff it worked out perfectly for me.”

Mains didn’t let others opinions stray his journey at NAU, and with the help of his coaches and teammates, he kept working towards what he had always dreamt of – a scholarship. In January of 2019, early on after his redshirt year as a freshman, Mains watched his goals come in clear reach and received his scholarship papers from former head coach Jack Murphy alongside his teammates.

“It was very special. When it happened, Luke (Avdalovic) also got one and he was a longtime teammate of mine so it was just a super special moment. My teammates were hyping me up and it was just an awesome experience,” Mains said.

At the time of receiving the scholarship, current head coach Shane Burcar was a firstyear assistant coach on Murphy’s staff, and witnessed Mains’ hard work pay off.

“The reason you get into coaching is to help or be a positive influence on your players and everybody on campus. But you’re with your players every day, so someone like Nik, he prepped one year and never asked for anything and Coach Murphy never gave any guarantees so it made it even more significant,” Burcar said. “Just to see their faces and the hits on social media, that emotion when that happened, that was real emotion. It makes you feel good. You work hard and you’re gonna get something from it.”

Throughout that season, Mains appeared in all 31 games for the ‘Jacks, further proving he had earned his scholarship and deserved to be on the court in the blue and gold uniform. Mains averaged 15.4 minutes per game, along with 4.9 points and 1.9 rebounds off the bench. Finding most of his success from behind the three-point line, he totaled 151 points, 59 rebounds, 10 assists, 14 steals, and 11 blocks in his 478 minutes of action throughout the season, and he was just getting started.

Putting in work in the offseason, Mains began to showcase his player development during the 2019-20 season. Mains saw time on the court in all 30 games for the Lumberjacks, earning the start in 14. He recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes of play against SAGU American Indian College. He recorded six double-digit games, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range.

After his redshirt sophomore season, Mains turned the heat all the way up heading into the 2020-21 season. With a season nine games shorter than the average due to COVID-19 protocols, the stretch forward impressed all with a clear improvement in overall skillset and ball control, making his name known in and out of the paint.

“He scores from three levels of the court, and the other thing if you look at the analytics, he is one of our best defensive players,” Burcar said. “When we went on that fivegame winning streak in 19-20, he started those five games. He’s one of those guys, if he’s not scoring he’s still helping you win games.”

Starting 13 out of the 21 games in his fourth season with the team, and recording a total of 506 minutes of action, Mains made a point in showing off his hard work. Transitioning from a shooter who took most of his chances outside the arc and off offensive rebounds to a versatile scorer who was more than the 32 three-pointers he made last season was not an easy switch. Mains credits communication with his teammates and working on what he knew his team needed from him.

“The coaches definitely helped me. I also wanted to get better and improve on things over the years that I’ve been here,” Mains said. “I’ve been trying to get into the gym and work out with coaches and on my own but just focusing on making a skillset that fits in with the team.”

Coming out of the 2020-21 season and losing some key offensive shooters, many are putting the Lumberjacks under a microscope with the question of who will step up for the team this season. Mains notes that the team chemistry and point of emphasis is to come together for wins. As a veteran, he has stepped into a new role as a leader for the younger guys, just as his older teammates once did for him.

“I’m just trying to teach the younger guys how and what to do in certain situations, what to look for on certain plays and just give them motivation like the older people did for me when I was new here,” Mains said. “I’m just trying to make sure they’re comfortable and can play with a skillset that they are capable of.”

Heading into his fourth season on the court, and fifth season overall, Mains has the opportunity to display yet another year of growth coming out of the offseason. With nine new players on the roster and eight returners, the team has utilized the offseason to build trust and get to know each other on the court.

“I think the team chemistry has improved a lot,” Mains said. “It’s awesome that we are able to be this close and it really will show on the floor when we’re working together and cheering for each other. Togetherness and trying to win. That’s what the ultimate goal is so we’re just trying to be out here and play to the best of our ability and do it as a family.”

Flagstaff’s Own

JJ Nakai excited for opportunity to finally play in front of friends and family

BY CODY BASHORE

It’s been quite the wait for JJ Nakai’s family to see the NAU senior play in Flagstaff as she did for four years at Coconino High School.

While Nakai transferred to Northern Arizona ahead of the 2020-21 season, she did so as crowds were kept home from games with the COVID-19 pandemic presenting a significant challenge as the season began. However, the pandemic plagued season did allow Nakai, who was granted a waiver to play immediately after arriving from Nevada more than a year ago, an extra season with the Lumberjacks.

Now she enters her final colligate season with a year of experience in NAU head coach Loree Payne’s system and will welcome her family and friends to catch her games in Flagstaff just as they did back in 2017 as she landed All-State honors to go along with three All-Region honors and a pair of Arizona Daily Sun Player of the Year awards during her time with the Panthers.

“They were like ‘Okay, is there a way you can sneak us in’ and I was like no! There’s no way you can get in,” Nakai said with a laugh. “I think it was just more of just annoying on their part because they like we’re literally here almost every game and then couldn’t come in.”

Feeling so close, and yet still so far removed from Nakai’s return to the local basketball scene, the senior’s family did make the trek out to the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Boise, Idaho where a limited number of fans were allowed to be in attendance.

Nakai treated them with a 19-point performance against the Weber State Wildcats, hitting 5-of-10 from three-point range in the first round of the tournament.

While the frustration could be understood by anyone, especially after she spent three seasons away from Flagstaff between her time at Pima Community College and Nevada, the lighter side of the circumstances included a return to childhood for Nakai.

Living at home now that she was back in town, Nakai transported to some games with the assistance of her family. Rolling up to Rolle Activity Center, Nakai hopped out of the car and waved goodbye just like her youth basketball days.

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