Team leader, captain, mentor: he does it all

The team captain of the men's basketball team is a local boy who is making good progress.

Now in his second season, sophomore guard Nolan Abernathy, or "Nole," leads the Owls in assists, averaging 4.7 per game and has his team on the move with a 7-0 record.

Abernathy, who stands at 6 feet 1inch, and weighs 185 pounds, grew up in La Verne and started playing basketball when he was 9 years old.

His motivation was competing with his family.

"I fell in love with basketball when I was in sixth grade," he said. "I realized I could be good at it and from then on I played as much as I could."

Abernathy played basketball at Bonita High School for three seasons.

As a senior he earned first team All-CIF honors and first team All-Miramonte league honors. He was also a McDonald's All-American nominee.

"I just love the game," Abernathy said of his inspiration. "Competing with the people I care about and just my will to win."

Abernathy played at Azusa Pacific University for one season, but he said it wasn't for him.

"It was a rough experience," he said. "Their culture and style of play didn't fit well with me."

He considers all the coaches at Citrus to be his role models.

He also acknowledged former head coach Rick Croy, who is now coaching at St. Mary's College.

"My coach in my grayshirt year is a big influence on me" he said.

Abernathy has taken the role of team co-captain along with guard Kerry Carter.

"Nolan is a really good leader," Carter said. "He's a good example for these younger guys. He's always helping out. He's a big time hustle player."

Head coach Chris Victor has high expectations for Abernathy this season.

"Nolan brings a lot of experience to this team," he said. "He teaches a lot of players on their basketball mechanics. He's really improved on his decision-making."

"Nolan is a big help," freshman guard Brandon Woods said. "We've become close this year, and he's teaching me the ropes, and he's helping me be competitive each day. Just to have someone like him in our team. That's good for us."

If Abernathy weren't playing basketball, he said he'd be pursuing a business degree.

Abernathy plans to continue growing with his teammates and competing with his family. His goal is to leave Citrus as a state champion at the end of the year. He would like to go into a university and continue playing basketball.

"I absolutely love playing for Citrus. I couldn't ask for more," he said.

Abernathy would also like to coach for a team after his days of playing are done.

"I'd like to play for as long as I can, and possibly coach after that," he said.

The next home game is on Dec. 15, when they face off against Canyon College. The game starts at 7 p.m.