It’s now official: Canada has doubled its representation in the the most prestigious basketball hall of fame in the world--the one in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the game was invented in December 1891.
Steve Nash speaks during induction ceremonies at the Basketball Hall of Fame last Friday in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The inventor’s name, by the way, was James. B. Naismith, a Canadian who did so well they named the building after him.
On Friday, Steve Nash of Victoria, B.C. officially joined Naismith as the class of 2018 was enshrined.
In this March 25, 2007, file photo, Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash, right, drives around Sacramento Kings defender Ron Artest during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif. Nash, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill are among the 13-member class that were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last Friday. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater, File)
The official announcement came in the spring.
The enshrinement certainly caps a career that at the start had only one U.S. college interested in giving him a scholarship.
But Nash seems to possess a profound ability to make the best of any situation and to make his mark in virtually anything he chooses to do.
So, in fact, does Mike Hickey
Hickey has been coaching men’s and women’s basketball at the university and collegiate levels for almost 40 years since moving to Canada from his native Long Island, N.Y.
In this April 25, 2012, file photo, Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash (13) competes against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Phoenix. Nash was as good as it gets when it came to ball handling and passing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Matt York, File)
He worked with the Canadian National Team programs for six years, including working as assistant coach for the women’s team that went to the summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996,
He coached the Concordia Stingers women’s team for 14 years during which they made five trips to the nationals and he won five coach-of-the year awards.
He currently coaches the women’s team at John Abbott College in Montreal as well as serving as a guest instructor at basketball camps across North America.
In addition to coaching, Hickey is a writer, journalist and the author of an excellent biography on coaching legend Jack Donohue.
I spoke with Hickey by phone Tuesday about Steve Nash, the player, the person and his legacy.
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