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On Point: Eric Nix guides eager Hawks into SSAC Tournament
Fuddruckers Southern States Athletic Conference Men's Basketball
Championships
Presented by Floyd County
First Round (Wednesday, March 2; 2 pm; The
Forum)
West No. 5 Faulkner (11-18) vs. East No. 4 Shorter (23-7)
Listen: 95.7 WATG-FM The Ridge
ROME – More than anything, the Shorter University men’s basketball team would like to make a point this week that they are indeed a team to be reckoned with in the Fuddruckers Southern States Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championships presented by Floyd County.
And what better way to do that than to count on point guard Eric Nix to lead the way.
The junior transfer from the small town of Ider, Ala., has been pointing the Hawks in the right direction since he arrived at Shorter with his passing ability – he ranked second in the country in assists – and non-stop energy.
“He’s the key to our team,” Shorter head coach Chad Warner said of Nix as his 23-7 Hawks, who are a win away from the most victories by a Shorter team in 45 years, prepare to square off as the SSAC East Division’s No. 4 seed on Wednesday at The Forum against West Division No. 5 seed Faulkner University (11-18) in the first round of the conference tourney.
“When he plays well we’re one of the toughest teams to beat in the country,” the coach said. “In some ways, we live and die with his competitive spirit. He’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever seen – very, very tough. I love watching him play.”
So do Nix’s teammates, who have constantly found themselves on the receiving end of one of his passes off a fast break or in the team’s half-court offense.
Entering his first postseason as a Hawk, Nix has dished out 193 total assists and averaged 6.4 helpers a game, both numbers that rank him No. 2 in the nation.
In addition to his ability to find open teammates, Nix also provides the Hawks with 6.7 points a game and often finds himself in the mix under the glass battling for rebounds.
As a prep standout at Ider High School, Nix showed he could score as he averaged over 24 points a game in his senior season.
But it was his natural born ability to hand out assists – he averaged 6.3 of them in his final high school season – that helped put his name in the Alabama state record books – the 6-foot guard shares the record for the most assists in season (342) and is the state’s No. 2 career record holder in total assists with 1,098.
“I’ve always been able to pass the ball well because I guess I’ve always had a good vision of the court,” said Nix.
After graduating from high school, Nix headed to Gadsden State (Ala.) where he continued to excel, earning All-Alabama Community College Conference honors. There, Nix grabbed the attention of Warner.
As fate would have it, Nix’s first visit to Shorter came at the same time when most of the incoming players were on campus, and the foundation for this year’s team was set.
“We bonded right away,” Nix said. “It was the quickest bonding team I’ve ever been on. Everybody’s together all the time and I have people ask me why we stay together so much. We’re just a tight team.”
“We work hard on chemistry and team building all the time,” said Warner. “But for these guys, it was a natural chemistry.”
Two other Hawks have found the right kind of chemistry with Nix: sophomore Walter Hill and senior Marqise Wright, the team’s top-two respective scorers and rebounders who are more than happy to run the court alongside the high-tempo Nix.
“They all run the floor well so when I bring the ball down I can see what we’ve got to work with,” Nix said. “I’ll take whatever the defense gives me. If the shot’s there I’ll take it, but I’d rather create shots for my teammates than create them for myself.”
Nix and the rest of the Hawks realize that creating and making shots becomes even more vital if they want to achieve their season-long goal of earning a berth to the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship.
The Hawks know they must be ready to take on all comers who represent a conference where four teams have notched more than 20 wins – East powers Lee, Emmanuel, Southern Poly and Shorter have all eclipsed the 20-win plateau and currently are or have been ranked in the NAIA Top 25 this season.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Warner. “You just have to go out and play and I know we’re ready to go.”
