Good Sports: Nate Kendricks

Immanuel senior point guard Nate Kendricks isn't loud by nature.

"They've kind of called him a silent assassin. He's very quiet, doesn't talk a lot. But before you know it, he's got five (3-pointers) in a quarter," said Immanuel head coach Chris Woods.

But his game speaks volumes.

"A lot of practice you know. Just a lot of hard work goes into that. It's not just me, my teammates get me a lot of open looks," said Kendricks.

Opposing coaches and teams have taken notice.

"He's one of the top, if not the top guards in the Valley. He's just as good as anybody," said Selma head coach Mike Pallesi.

So good he actually ranked in the top five in the state and top ten in the nation in total points per game earlier this season. If you think his last name sounds familiar outside basketball court, it does. His uncles are Mychal and Eric Kendricks, star linebackers in the NFL.

"He (Nate) was pretty good (at football), ran a 4.5 and I'm thinking he was going to be a football player just like everybody else but he was put that ball through the net pretty well," said father Terrence Kendricks.

With encouragement from his NFL-playing uncles, Hendricks stuck to hoops and the decision has paid off in the form of three Valley Championships so far at Immanuel and signing to play with Fresno Pacific next year.

"I just want to let people know that nothing is given. Everything takes a lot of hard work in the classroom and on court," said Kendricks.

Spoken like a true champion.