Nick Brady '10, of Hanover, Pa., recently concluded one of the best careers in the history of York College's men's basketball program. He is only the second Spartan player to earn National American Basketball Coaches All-American honors. That is not bad for a player that red-shirted his freshman year because he wasn't ready for the rigors of the collegiate game. His rise from afterthought to All-American can be traced back to his mother's, father's and team's support, which drove him to achieve at a level few thought was possible.
Lori Brady always had a way of reaching her firstborn son. It was a bond that went far deeper than the typical mother-son relationship.
"I remember when I earned all-league honors after my junior year in high school my mom said to me, 'there is always more to do tomorrow, there is always more work to be done'," recounts Nick. "She had an incredible sense of being able to keep my ego in check. Anytime she felt I was getting a little too big, she would subtly give me a little nugget of wisdom that helped keep everything in prospective."
Nick arrived on the York College campus as a skinny guard from Delone Catholic High School. He came to York College with the reputation as a great scorer, as well as a player that lacked a little intensity on the defensive end of the floor.
He was a true freshman on a team that was coming off an NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance, and it was loaded with four senior starters. There wasn't much room for a freshman to work his way into any meaningful playing time, so the decision was made for Nick to redshirt and sit out the 2005-06 season.
"It was actually my dad's idea to take the redshirt year," said Nick. "It was such a blessing and a curse. For the first time in my life, I had to motivate myself. There was no one standing over me pushing me. It helped me grow up and understand how much I missed being on the floor with my teammates. I am so glad that my dad brought up the idea and it worked out."
A great transformation took place during that time away from the game. The skinny guard spent hours he normally would at practice in the cramped weight room of the old Wolf Gymnasium. He worked to build his body and prepare himself for the rigors of collegiate basketball. He also spent hours alone shooting in the old gym. The swish of the net would reaffirm to him that he would someday make an impact on the Spartan program.
That work paid off during the 2006-07 season when he was named the CAC Rookie-of-the-Year as the Spartans went 16-10. He averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as he led the Spartans with 43 threes. They were good numbers, but ones that proved to be just a glimpse into the future.
"While I enjoyed a successful freshman year, it helped motivate me to get even better," he said. "My mom always told me that I should never be satisfied and that I needed to keep working. Those words helped drive me to become the player I believed I could be."
Nick's sophomore year was solid as he averaged 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the 18-8 Spartans. He was again the Spartans' top marksman from downtown as he drained 49 threes.
His junior year, however, was a challenge in many ways.
Suddenly he was a leader on a team that graduated a two-time All-American in Chad McGowan '09 and All-CAC guard Levi Winters '09. His sudden thrust into a leadership role wasn't always as easy as he would have liked.
"My junior year was tough," he remembered. "I thought I played well, but we struggled to win, and I had a hard time dealing with that. I love to win and compete but we always seemed to be coming up short. In addition to the struggles of our team, I was dealing with my mom being sick. It was a tough and difficult season."
His mom, Lori, had been suffering from Scleroderma, a widespread connective tissue disease that involves changes in the skin, blood vessels, muscles and internal organs.
At the end of the 2008-09 season Nick got a call from his brother, Jason, saying their mother had been admitted to the hospital. Just a half-hour after Jason's call, Nick received a follow-up call from his father, Tony, telling him to come back to Hanover because his mom had passed away.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," said Nick. "We were on spring break, and I had come back to campus to watch the girls play in the NCAA Tournament. When my dad called, I just went in the other room and broke down. It was devastating. It was only 10 months from the time she was diagnosed until she passed away. I didn't think I would get 30 more years with her, but there is no way I thought it would only be 10 months."
Lori passed away on March 7, 2009. Visitation at the funeral home on that cold, crisp Wednesday night displayed how much Lori was loved throughout the community. The viewing line wrapped around the block as a testament to her impact on others.
"She was a secretary and she worked incredibly hard and was loved by everyone who knew her," Nick said. "It was heartwarming to see how many people she affected. It made me very proud to be her son."
After Lori's death, Nick struggled with the things that most people deal with when someone they love so dearly passes away.
"I went through a stretch where I was questioning things, but then I realized that it wasn't what she would want me to be doing," he said. "She would want me to get back to what I love doing, and that meant focusing on school and basketball."
Nick threw himself into being a great captain for a Spartan squad that entered the season with promise. He organized early morning training sessions for the team. The sessions on the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center track started before the sun rose and helped tighten bonds between the players, bonds that would carry the Spartans to a tremendous 19-7 campaign as they finished second in the CAC.
While the Spartans had a great year collectively, Nick was amazing individually, finishing the season averaging 20.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He became the second Spartan to earn the prestigious CAC Player-of-the-Year award. The guard then earned NABC All-American honors, something, which naturally, he deflected to his teammates and coaches.
"There is no way I could have achieved anything without my teammates and coaches," said Nick. "These guys are my brothers, and I could not have asked for anything more from them or my coaches."
When asked about what it was like to play after his mother's passing, his answer is simple.
"She is with me all the time," he continued. "I know that every day, no matter what, she is looking down and guiding me. I think she has put people in my life to keep me going down the path she started me on."
Another relationship he enjoyed during his time at York is the one he had with Spartan head coach Jeff Gamber.
"Coach was tough on me when he had to be, but he has always been fair," said Nick. "He has become a second father to me. I am so blessed in my life to have strong people that have helped guide me and make me the person I have become. I view Coach so much more than as just my college basketball coach. I view him as a friend and as someone whose opinion I cherish and value. I said in the press conference after our loss in the CAC Tournament, that if I could, I would choose to come to York College and play for Coach Gamber 100 out of 100 times. I have been blessed in my career to play for great coaches, and I feel very fortunate."
Gamber also speaks very highly of this former captain.
"Nick had an awesome career," states Gamber. "He provided us with great leadership this year and was a huge reason for our success. Nick improved as much or more than any other player I have ever coached in 41 years. He is not the same player that he was as a senior at Delone Catholic. Not only is Nick a great player, but he is an All-American person."
"I will always have a deep love for York College and the people who I have grown close to over the last five years," states Nick. "I will always miss my mom, but the lessons she has instilled in me will live forever. The three things that remain with me are to never be satisfied, that if you are going to do something, do it right, and to always, most importantly, be a good person."
Nick graduated in May with his criminal justice degree; however, he plans to put the use of that degree on hold to pursue a professional basketball career in Europe.
"I know that I will always have my degree, but I want to find out if I can compete and play at a higher level," he added. "I don't want to look back and say 'what if.' That's another thing Mom taught me. To live in a way so I don't have any regrets."
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