Damari Nixon was the exception.
Curie coach Mike Oliver was not happy with his team’s effort in their Tuesday win over Corliss, ripping them for playing with a lackadaisical attitude. Nixon, however, was singled out. The senior shooting guard, a Fenwick transfer, had played an efficient, thorough game all night long, and Oliver had noticed.
“He looked like the only one who came to play basketball like he’s got something to prove,” Oliver said. “But that’s what he’s been doing all year.”
Nixon hit two three-pointers in the first quarter as Curie leapt to a big early lead, drained two more right after halftime to maintain the momentum and swished a fifth in the final quarter to help the Condors hold on. Nixon finished 6-of-12 from the floor — 5-of-10 from deep — for 17 points.
“That’s his job: He makes wide-open shots for us (and) he defends,” Oliver said. “He’s just consistent.”
Of course, Nixon was still just Curie’s third-leading scorer, as one would expect on a team featuring Kansas State commit DaJaun Gordon (25 points Tuesday) and likely D1-bound junior Ramean Hinton (18 points).
In some ways, the presence of Gordon and Hinton distracts viewers away from Nixon, who is smaller, less athletic and less well rounded, even though he touts the kind of single elite skill that could make him an arguably more useful role player at the college level.
But playing alongside Gordon and Hinton has also distracted defenses away from Nixon — the nephew of 1990s Farragut great Ronnie Fields — and given him a platform to really showcase his single elite skill. He poured in six three-pointers and 23 points in a huge December win over now-No. 4 Morgan Park, plus chipped in 15 points in a November win over East St. Louis, 14 points in a December win over Simeon and 10 points in Curie’s victory against No. 2 Bogan earlier this month.
“Since they’re focusing on those guys, I have an opportunity to make shots and make plays for others,” Nixon said. “It’s really been comfortable, they’ve accepted me, and coach Mike just wants me to shoot the ball.”
Of course, Nixon would probably contest the claim that he has only one elite skill, and he made a convincing case for his subtle versatility against Corliss.
He was far from the biggest player on the court, yet he still made a noticeable impact guarding and rebounding through work ethic alone, bringing down seven rebounds. And on the offensive end, when the visiting Trojans began monitoring him closer on the perimeter as the game progressed, Nixon smartly found teammates inside rather than jacking up contested shots. He tallied five assists in the process.
“I would describe my game as a three-point shooting guy who can do everything,” he said afterward. “(If) they take the three-pointer away, I can get to the basket or shoot a pull-up jump shot, and I like to defend, too.”
Nixon’s unexpectedly impressive senior campaign has led to a small surge of Division I recruitment. Although he doesn’t yet have an offer, he thinks it’s “very likely” he’ll get at least one from the group of schools showing interest: Loyola, Valparaiso, Kent State, Bradley and Wright State.
The stretch run of the season comes first, though, with Curie expected to enter the city playoffs next week ranked No. 1. Playoff opponents will presumably key on Gordon and Hinton even more than the Condors has seen thus far.
That, in turn, will open the door for Nixon to potentially break through into the spotlight at the tail end of his high school career.
“This is his 23rd game now, and he’s adapted to his role,” Oliver said. “He goes to the open spot, and makes the wide-open shot.”