The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

LOURAWLS Nairn lived up to the growing hype and, with an impressive summer circuit on the hardwood, saw his stock rise to the 61st ranked basketball player in America for the class of 2014 by Rivals.com.

Nairn’s eventful summer included participation in the Nike Point Guard Skills Academy and the LeBron James Skills Academy. His performances at the camps placed him among the top 30 players from the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and Skills Academies and earned him a spot on the USA West roster at the Nike Global Challenge.

The Point Guard Skills Academy featured the Brooklyn Nets’ Deron Williams and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving.

The invite-only event featured the top 15-20 high school point guards and the top 10 college point guards.

The 2012 high school roster at the camp was highlighted by Andrew Harrison who enters his freshman season this fall at the University of Kentucky as the highest rated incoming freshman point guard in the NCAA.

The collegiate roster included Naismith College Player of the Year Trey Burke and fellow NBA Draft prospects Isiah Canaan, Erick Green and Phil Pressey.

The LeBron James Skills Academy featured the top 80 high school players and top 20 college players in the country.

The high school roster in 2012 featured top rated Andrew Wiggins, and incoming Kentucky freshmen Julius Randle and Marcus Lee among others.

The collegiate group included a number of projected lottery picks in this year’s NBA Draft, including Burke, CJ McCollum, Otto Porter and Mason Plumlee.

BleacherReport.com’s Doug Brodess, named Nairn ninth among “The 10 Biggest Winners of July’s College Basketball Recruiting Showcases.”

“Nairn runs the point with hunger and passion. He is a relentless competitor who pushes the action - even when he is not leading a fast break, according to ESPN’s Dave Telep. He lists Nairn as one in a short list of players who are “quietly elevating their games. He’s too fast to ignore.”

The 5’10” 170-pound Nairn has received offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Iowa and Arkansas.

Schools that have expressed interest but have yet to make an offer include North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, Miami, Indiana, Wake Forest, Alabama and Memphis among others.

Heading into an all important senior season, Nairn’s summer months meant an opportunity to increase his exposure against some of the best high school players in America.

“It felt good to be selected to those camps. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go to them and of course to compete with some of the best players around the country,” Nairn said. “It is a huge honour and is also an opportunity. I work hard everyday but I know without the grace of God it would not have happened.”

Nairn is one of four Bahamian players from the Sunrise Christian Academy Buffaloes in Wichita, Kansas, and plays on the AAU circuit for MoKan Elite.

Despite the individual accolades and impact on his future, Nairn also sees it as an opportunity for the entire Sunrise Christian Academy programme.

The Buffaloes finished first in their state class, rose to a ranking of fourth in the state and 134th nationally, which has helped increase Nairn’s exposure. “For me going into my senior year, the camps will help more people to know about our programme and wanting to see what is to come from us in the future,” Nairn said. “It is an individual thing, but to me it is a team thing because it also puts the Sunrise Academy name out there.”