Prospect Watch: Nick Bazzell (2018)
Class of 2018 guard Nick Bazzell of St. Charles West is a solid all-around guard who is following in a strong family tradition in the Warriors program.
The 6’2″ Bazzell is the nephew of former West standouts Robbie and Alex Bazzell, who were also excellent guards. Alex Bazzell was also a collegiate standout at nearby Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. Young Nick said both have been very instrumental in his development as a player.
“It’s always a challenge when I get compared to those guys,” Nick Bazzell said. “I love them to death. They have helped me so much in my basketball career. It’s a great opportunity to learn from them.”
A three-year starter for the Warriors, Bazzell is an all-purpose guard who can do a little bit of everything to help his team. As a junior, he averaged 10.6 points, four rebounds and three assists a game while making 39 3-pointers and shooting 70 percent from the free throw line. He did break out with a couple of big scoring performances, including a 21-point night against Class 3 state-finalist Whitfield and a season-high 26 points against Francis Howell North.
“I find myself being a good passer, a good distributor and a pretty good shooter,” he said. “I’m really working on improving my strength from last year. I saw it as a real challenge for me. I want to be stronger with the ball and be able to take it to the basket better than I did last year.”
Bazzell has spent the past two summers playing with T.E.M. Select, a new club that has been playing good basketball for the past two years. T.E.M. Select’s 17U won the St. Louis Spring Showdown championship in April. Bazzell had a good showing in that tournament as he provided an excellent offensive spark off the bench with his 3-point shooting.
“Playing for them has helped me out a ton,” Bazzell said. “Playing with a bunch of guys that I know has been an amazing experience.”