Nash had a few good moments

Posted Apr 18, 2012 by Joey Johnston

Updated Apr 18, 2012 at 09:37 PM

In the long run, Blake Nash might be remembered as someone who briefly passed through the University of South Florida’s basketball program. Just another name. After coming over from Williston (N.D.) State, Nash, a 6-foot point guard, registered only one USF season before announcing his transfer on Wednesday.

Nash, who worked behind freshman point guard Anthony Collins, saw his minutes drop drastically during Big East Conference play. And he had a very forgettable sequence during the third-round NCAA tournament loss against Ohio University. With Collins needing a breather, Nash had the ball taken away on two straight possessions.

Overall, he averaged 3.4 points per game. As for the future, with Collins established and recruiting reinforcements on the way, an increase in minutes probably didn’t seem likely.

But he also had a few nice moments, none bigger than Jan. 5 road victory at Villanova. Nash, who spelled the injured Collins, had a season-high six assists and 12 points. At the time, with USF’s Big East status very much unknown in the early season, defeating the Wildcats did wonders for the Bulls’ confidence.

Nash might have been generally anonymous to USF fans, but he shed some brief light during a conversation one day before the Bulls faced Ohio in Nashville, Tenn.

His favorite basketball player was always Kobe Bryant.

He liked to play golf, a relatively new pastime, and said he was fairly long off the tee.

He thought a lot about his little brother, Brentod, who was just 14 when he died in 2008. He wears a tattoo of Brentod’s name. He has dedicated games to him.

“He looked up to me,’’ Nash said. “I know he’s watching. I hope he’s proud.’’

Good luck to Blake Nash at his next stop, wherever that might be.