As he retreated to the bleachers from outside of the gym at Massanutten Military Academy (Va.) on Sunday afternoon, Scotland Campus’ Clarence Nadolny flashed a toothy smile as he was greeted by a horde of anxiously awaiting teammates.
Directly after scoring a team-best 22 points to help pioneer undefeated and No.1 nationally ranked Scotland Campus (29-0) to an 88-83 win over Mount Zion (Md.), Nadolny had just received back to back scholarship offers from West Virginia and Iowa State.
Perhaps too reserved and quiet by nature to make a spotlight-claiming announcement or self-boast about it, Nadolny didn’t need to say much anyhow. His teammates were able to read the events that had just occurred. In this particular situation, the smile served purely as an indicator.
Displaying a polished scoring prowess throughout, the 6-foot-3 guard was attacking the rim and slicing his way into seams, drawing fouls.
Throughout a foul-littered game underscored by ramped up physicality, Nadolny savored the unforgiving hard contact on his routine forays to the rim. With WVU head coach Bobby Huggins and assistant Ron Everhart watching, Nadolny stuck three consecutive 3-pointers as Scotland closed out the first half with a significant roll of momentum.
Since he arrived at the doorstep in August, Nadolny’s game has oozed of freakish athleticism.
He registered his presence with vertically explosive plays, the type only a special core of athletes are capable of.
Valuable elements of his game such as his outside shot and shot creation and consistency have been tuned up, enabling him to submit 20+ point performances on elevated stages and score it gracefully.
Adaptability, however, has been the most pivotal and empowering component of Nadolny’s progression.
He abruptly adapted to a leadership role and a multi-layered role as a scorer, facilitator, defensive catalyst, and key rebounding guard.
Guard play has paralleled the unblemished season for Scotland, which possesses a deep backcourt with Weber State-bound point guard Judah Jordan, 3-point ace Austin Galuppo (also headed to Weber State), underrated 6-foot-1 guard DeQuarius Nicholas, and several other pieces.
After struggling to find his niche early on, Nadolny has suddenly become a centerpiece.
“I’m just very happy about how he’s bought into our culture and bought into getting better on a daily basis, he’s transformed into not just a good player but a vocal leader on the team,” said Scotland head coach Chris Chaney, who pushed Nadolny to seize the leadership reins from the beginning.
“With his playing more with changing of the speeds of the game and under control and having a high IQ of the game, he’s really flourished.”
Part of the Paris, France native’s evolution has entailed refining his workload off the court. Such has been a notable factor translatable to his play on it.
“I think his biggest thing is he’s been getting tougher, and by getting tougher he’s been getting more physical,” said Travis Scott, Scotland Campus Sports’ Director of strength and conditioning.
“He’s refined his game to play bigger than what he is. His strength comes out better on defense. He uses his body to get into better positions and make plays on that end of the floor. With all that being said, the added toughness and the physicality, that just increased his confidence in his own game.”
That confidence and consistency combination have resulted in convincing performances.
He scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards during a 78-54 thrashing of IMG Academy.
During a 113-70 washout of an NTSI (FL) national team which held close before Scotland’s second half onslaught, Nadolny scored 15 points, pulled down nine boards, and doled out five assists.
During an 89-69 road win at West Nottingham, the focused Frenchman scored 16 points to go with six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Since the Fork Union Military Academy tournament in Virginia last month, Nadolny has catapulted his play onto a different stratosphere.
During the second game of that showcase, a 92-86 win over Fork Union, Nadolny scored 26 points. He was able to counter punch with big shots, hitting vital 3-pointers and knocking back clutch free throws. He emerged as the stabilizing focal point during moments of heightened pressure.
Scotland wobbled mightily while falling behind by double digits during the first half. It was 6-foot-5 wing Akrum Ahemed who willed them back into it, scoring 12 points in 10 minutes.
Chaney said the development of an all around game has paralleled Nadolny’s incorporation of a fluid jumper and outside shot. He cited improvement in these categories since the NERR Prep National Showcase in New Haven, Conn. back in November.
“I think he’s definitely put the time into the gym to master his craft, he’s definitely gained confidence,” Chaney said.
“He’s taking better shots. He’s figured out that it is not just about scoring. He now knows the scoring will come if he performs with the rest of the game. I think he was pressing at the beginning of the season a little bit. Now that his whole game has evolved, the shooting and scoring has been a bonus.”
Which programs are in most aggressive pursuit of the Frenchman?
“West Virginia and Iowa State have been on him pretty hard,” explained Chaney.
“Most recently Boston College, N.C. State, and Arkansas have expressed interest.”
