Nankivil rolling along nicely this season
After missing a good part of the busy travel season with a broken foot, Keaton Nankivil is back for his junior year and taking care of business on the hardwood.
The 6-foot-8, 245-pound power forward from Memorial High School in Madison, Wisc., said he is back to full strength and he has lead his team to a 10-1 record all the while averaging 15 points and eight rebounds a game.
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"This year means a lot more to me. I realize that one injury could snowball into something big and after missing a year, I makes me think more about how I play this year," Nankivil said.
The big bodied forward recently squared off with future Kansas Jayhawk Cole Aldrich at the Gatorade Shootout and despite losing his only game of the year, Nankivil said he felt like he played well against the Minnesota native.
Nankivil, the No. 33 ranked player in the class of 2007, said the recruiting process has not been on the forefront of his mind this season either.
"I don't really pay too much attention to it all that much. I am taking it as it comes," Nankivil said. "I'll probably make my decision later."
He said Wisconsin, Marquette, Iowa and Virginia have been out to a game or practice this year. Nankivil has been to Iowa, Marquette and Wisconsin but said the trips "weren't too serious. We just looked around."
"A lot (my decision) will be based on how comfortable I feel with the coaches and the team. I want to go to a place where I can win," Nankivil said. "(Location) is not a huge factor. It's not a bad thing if the school I choose I close to home."
Talk to Nankivil and it is easy to understand why recruiting isn't a high priority. He wants to win a state championship. He has a lot of missed time to make up anyways.