Block-buster Nate Block never wonders what might have been, because he believes he already knows.
Hawaii Pacific's Nate Block is
a Division I talent at a D-II schoolBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.com
Block, the 6-foot-7 senior center for Hawaii Pacific, signed on out of Clackamas Community College in Oregon as soon as he could, not even waiting for the offers from NCAA Division I schools to pour in. He accumulated quite a stack of them after signing, but never wavered from his first choice. And it is a good thing, because the talented post man may not have gotten a choice at all.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii Pacific center Nate Block transferred from Clackamas Community College, where he played with UH guard Mark Campbell.
Block was playing summer ball shortly after signing on with HPU when he was smacked in the right shoulder while going up for a jump ball, suffering an inflamed bursa sac and "some bones grinding together."
It could have been the end of his hoops career, since Hawaii Pacific had the option of just letting him go and no other school would realistically take on the damaged goods. But then-Sea Warriors head coach Tony Sellitto gave his word, and kept it.
"We held a spot for him, he was that good," current Hawaii Pacific head coach Russell Dung said. "He had good credentials, but a lot of guys wouldn't have taken a chance on him being hurt like that."
The decision to allow him to have surgery and rehab over the summer and play the following season --- even though he was still not fully recovered -- certainly paid off for the Sea Warriors. With the new coach coming in, Block was asked to take a leadership role, being named co-captain with guard Nic Walters. And he has excelled in the role, all the while contributing the dirty work of rebounding and blocking shots.
Block says he doesn't regret not considering Division I because he likes the school and the state. He is pursuing a criminal justice degree, which his sister recently earned. He also knows what it is like playing on a Division I-caliber team.
When Block was the big man on the Clackamas campus, he shared the floor with current University of Hawaii guards Mark Campbell and Michael Kuebler, and current HPU point guard Marvin Noble redshirted behind Campbell. The team went 28-5 and caught the attention of Sellitto and Hawaii coach Riley Wallace, but failed to win the national championship when Campbell broke his wrist the day before the national tournament.
Block jumped to Hawaii first and was followed by Campbell. Noble came to HPU on Block's recommendation and Kuebler followed Campbell to UH. Campbell considers Block a Division I player who plays for a Division II school.
"In the right system he has the tools and all that to be a D-I player," Campbell said. "If he wouldn't have signed before the season he definitely would have had a lot of offers, he had a great year. He is a great competitor and a fearless rebounder, and the main thing is that he is happy where he is at."
Block says he never thinks about what might have been if he would have made his interest known to UH; he has enough to think about in trying to get HPU back to the postseason.
And a lot of that depends on him. He is finally healthy and has one of the hardest jobs in the Pacific West Conference -- slowing down all-conference center Scott Salisbury of Brigham Young-Hawaii.
"He is good at what he does," Block said. "You better make sure you are in front of him or he will get everything. He is the man."
The Sea Warriors' hopes of dethroning the Seasiders rest largely on Block's ability to contain Salisbury, which is part of the reason HPU kept him around in the first place.
"He is very, very important," Dung said. "He is one of the more physical type players who can handle Scott Salisbury. Most guys like to score, but he is tough and does all of the intangibles that we need."
Dung says the biggest intangible Block brings is maturity, an attitude that comes with knowing that your game could have been taken away at the blink of an eye. He sees Campbell and Kuebler's heroics as often as he can, but wouldn't change a thing. He is content with cheering for his friends come March.
"I'm in Hawaii," Block said. "That's good for them to be able to do that, but I don't have any regrets whatsoever. I really like the school and the guys and that is really all it takes to make me happy."
HPU Sports
