Caner-Medley’s Corner- Memories, lessons from ‘Tourney Time’

Deering fans were notorious for their "passion" during Caner-Medley's era.

Deering fans were notorious for their “passion” during Caner-Medley’s era.

Note: After watching some of the high school basketball championships last week, it got me thinking about the two state championship games that Nik played in for Deering in 2001 and 2002.

Nik had a remarkable four year run in the high school tournament, but never won a coveted Gold Ball.

The championship game in 2001, a devastating last second loss to Bangor High School in his junior year, has gone down as one of the best Maine high school basketball games ever played:

Just three years later, he would use the experience as motivation while playing on one of college basketball’s biggest stages in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for the University of Maryland.

For this issue of “Caner-Medley’s Corner,” Nik reflected on the good fortune that he’s had to play in so many exciting playoff and championship games over the years, and the lessons that he’s learned through moments of triumph and failure:

“Tournament time is a great time of year from high school to the pros. I was a freshman in high school 17 years ago and have been playing come tournament time every year since.

For that alone I am extremely blessed and I am grateful.

"The Big Three," Caner-Medley (33), Jamaal Caterina (23), and Walter Phillips (32).

“The Big Three,” Caner-Medley (33), Jamaal Caterina (23), and Walter Phillips (32).

High school brings back great memories, even though all four years ended badly in my opinion because we didn’t win a state championship.

But looking back at the experiences good and bad and how it shaped my values going forward, I wouldn’t change much.
It was really tough at the time and it is still unbelievable to me how we lost my junior year in Bangor, at the buzzer, to end an undefeated season- but every year moving forward I can draw on that experience and those emotions and at least say it can’t get worse than that.
I will never be ok with that loss or the following season’s loss in Portland at the Civic Center against Brunswick.
Those two games piss me off to this day, but looking back they are great memories because I genuinely learned from them and they made me better.
Not only that, but they also helped shape how I wanted to carry myself moving forward.
The next championship game I played in after high school was two years later as a sophomore at Maryland when we beat Duke in the ACC championship game.
I remember talking to my close friends and teammates at the time about the heart break I had in high school and a few of them had never experienced losing a championship game.
I tried to make them fear that feeling.
I maybe even exaggerated how bad it was, but I hoped it would serve as motivation for the ACC championship, because it did for me in a big way.
As a pro I have played in one championship game.
It was a few years ago and I was playing for Valencia, Spain. We were in Moscow, Russia playing Khimki in the EuroCup championship game.
Khimki was the home team, the Final 4 location was in their home gym, and we lost a close one.
It was a tough game to lose, especially with the way things went down in the last few minutes, but it’s like the motto of a championship fight, don’t let it go into the hands of the judges.
At least it wasn’t a buzzer beater.
As an athlete tournament time only ends with a good memory in rare cases, and that’s one of the things that makes winning a championship so exciting.
The feeling I had when we won the ACC championship, I can’t begin to explain, but it couldn’t have felt that amazing if I hadn’t had the disappointing experiences that I had a few years before in high school.
Caner-Medley's reaction to fouling out of the state championship in 2001.

Caner-Medley’s reaction to fouling out of the state championship in 2001.

I encourage young athletes to use the losses to help motivate them. They will only make the wins feel better.
If you asked me the most important thing in my opinion besides “luck” to a healthy career as an athlete, I’d say taking care of your body to help luck work in your favor.
If you work consistently in practice, train hard in the offseason, and eat healthy, you’ll find yourself in the position to succeed when it matters most. These are things that are easier said than done but definitely keys to success.
If you truly dedicate yourself, when March rolls around you will always have an edge over your opponents who took short cuts and didn’t make the same sacrifices.
One of my favorite quotes is “Today I will do the things that other people won’t, so tomorrow I can do the things that other people can’t”.
Caner-Medley going in for a block on former Duke standout JJ Reddick.

Caner-Medley going in for a block on former Duke standout JJ Reddick.

I remember when I was in elementary and middle school and people would come in and talk and they would all say, “kids listen up, hard work pays off.” I’d think what are they bringing this unoriginal guy in here for, the last two guys said the same thing, get a new speech!
Now that my teammates are calling me a vet I’m looking back and saying the same things those guys used to say to me when I was younger.
One thing is for sure, this time of year in a basketball season is when you find out if the hard work paid off, or if you didn’t work hard enough.”
Nik04

 

Chris Shorr

About Chris Shorr

Chris is a sixth generation Portlander who loves all things Maine. He has worked with mentally ill and marginalized adults at a Portland non-profit, on a lobster boat in Casco Bay, at several high-end Portland restaurants, and at a local meat packing plant. He also ran for Portland City Council in 2013, wrote a weekly column in the now defunct Portland Daily Sun, and currently writes a weekly column in The Portland Phoenix.