Prospect Spotlight: Shane Nowell
Shane Nowell could very well be “next up” as we like to say in Seattle. When we say next up, we mean one of the next players to go Division 1 and maybe even make it to the pro ranks. That is a difficult label for many to be able to handle, but Seattle’s basketball culture has a way of holding players accountable and more importantly supporting them to make the dream come true. The potential is there for the 6’5 sophomore guard at Eastside Catholic High School, but he understands he has a ways to go and a lot to work before achieving the ultimate dream. How about finishing high school first, right?
Shane’s freshman season was very impressive for Eastside Catholic. Playing in the Metro League is not an easy task, regularly featuring 20 plus Division 1 Prospects and the refs allow for a more physical style of play than other leagues across the state. He was second on the team in scoring at nearly 10 point per game. He displayed versatility by grabbing almost 6 rebounds per game, to go along with 1.5 steals and 1 block per game. More than an athlete, Shane also shot 85% from the foul line. Senior Brock Mackenzie (Freshman at Point Loma Nazarene University) was the unquestioned leader of the team, but everyone could see it would be Shane’s team in his sophomore year. But, before his sophomore season rolled around, Shane was on a mission to prove himself among the nation’s elite playing with Seattle Rotary’s 16U EYBL team.
The Nike EYBL recently expanded their league to include an official 16 and under division. Shane and a few other top flight 2021 kids from Washington were fortunate enough to have the ability to play up a year on Rotary’s 16U team. Shane mentioned to Prep Hoops that his “Summer went extremely well. [I] played with a great group of guys and accomplished so many things on a long journey”. The team performed well on the circuit and competed every single game. Along the journey, Shane was also able to pick up three Division 1 offers. UW, WSU and Montana have all given offers to Shane at this time, with interest from countless other schools. After a great summer, the sturdy left handed off-guard is excited for his upcoming sophomore high school season.
Eastside Catholic is projected to be a top 5 team in the state for 3A. They lose their leading scorer, (see above) but they return a core of underclassmen that have valuable varsity playing experience now. With multiple college prospects of all levels on the team, everyone’s expectations of Shane are very high, including his own expectations of himself. He mentioned his goals for this year include “making first team all league, winning a state championship and picking up college basketball offers”. With lofty goals comes an understanding that he has to continue to expand his skill set. He plans to continue working on his jump shot, handle and footwork to become the complete package. Shane continued on saying, “I feel that I am at a stage where it is time to mature in my game and show college coaches that I have what it takes to compete at a high level in college basketball”. Shane has his sights set on continuing to prove himself to high level colleges, but Seattle basketball folks will tell you, don’t be surprised if he finds his way into the pro ranks someday.
Eastside Catholic is scheduled to particpate in a jamboree at Chief Sealth HS on November 24th, but they will open at home in their first official game vs Foss (Tacoma)