Ask Nolan Narain, a senior forward on the Aztec men's basketball team, about the highlights of his career and two things come to his mind.
"I feel like the highlight, the most memorable moment, was being part of the 2017-18 team. We won the conference tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a while. I'd never been to an NCAA Tournament, and that year was kind of a roller coaster ride. We had a bad start and then ended up winning our last 11 games to make the dance. That was my most memorable team experience.
"Individually, it has to be the freshest highlight…hitting that three on senior night. It was my first start (in Viejas Arena) and it was a special moment."
On senior night, head coach Brian Dutcher drew up the same first play the team had run for much of the season, except that night it was for Narain. "Dutch is like 'Hey Pop, if you want to shoot it, go ahead. If not, then just swing it and we'll go into swing five.' So, in my mind, when he said shoot it if you want, that was the green light for me. I'm going pull the trigger no matter what. Even if my guy is hanging all over me, I'm just gonna let it go."
Let it go he did and in it went. "I felt really good. It rolled around the rim before it went in, but it was very cool, very cool."
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Narain saw his college playing career come to an end on March 13, when he, the sixth-ranked Aztecs and the rest of the basketball world was notified that the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament had been canceled.
"Yanni (Wetzell) and I talked about it once we found out that we weren't going to get the chance to go. I knew he and KJ (Feagin) were super excited because they had never been before. (A chance to go to the tournament) was one of the reasons why they decided to leave where they were and come here. I shared some of my experiences with him, but it was a real bummer for all of us.
"This team was special because the way we connected on and off the floor. The chemistry was perfect. It was basically a few main pieces from the previous year, and we added Malachi (Flynn), Yanni, KJ and Trey (Pulliam), and it seemed like half the team was basically brand new. But we trusted in each other and our coaches. I've been on teams that didn't exactly get along with the coaching staff or didn't get along with each other and that held us back from reaching out best. However, on this team we all meshed as one from the start. This could have been our year."
With the season over, face-to-face instruction ended, and the campus closed, Narain is focused on wrapping up his final semester of school and then heading out into the workforce.
"I'm still in San Diego and just got a seven-week old German Shepherd puppy. I've got one class, which was already online, so nothing has really changed for me regarding school.
"I'm also involved in getting my work visa. If had gone home, it would have made things a more difficult for me to get it, so that's the main reason I decided to stay. My parents wanted me to come home because they're scared of this coronavirus, but I wanted to stay here and start my career in San Diego."
The interdisciplinary studies major who is planning to get into commercial real estate, sees parallels between a basketball team and the workplace. "To be successful in either area you need to be hardworking, dedicated to your craft and you need to work as a team. If you want something, then you're going to have to work hard for it and put in the extra reps and time. Nothing's going to come easy and you have to work with others in a constructive way to achieve a goal."
Narain, who averaged 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 78 career games, struggled to stay in the lineup throughout his career. Then when Nathan Mensah went down after 13 games of season, Narain knew he would need to step up.
"I was actually battling some injuries before the season and was getting ready to come back when Nathan had to sit. So, the coaches told me, 'Nate can't play. We're going need more from you because we're short a big man.' So, I was ready. I had experience and having been through the past four years, that helped me look at things a little bit differently.
"I came back with the mindset of 'I'm going do whatever I can to help my team, no matter what.' If it's just rebounding and being a body to set screens and then finishing plays here and there, then that's what I'm going do. I wasn't looking at it as like, 'Hey I'm going to take over this spot now. I'm going to be the shot blocking, dunking big.' That's not my game. It was more like, 'I'm just going go out there and do the best I can help the team win.'
"My career was a roller coaster ride of injuries and health issues. Along the way they hampered me from achieving what I wanted, but I was glad I could wrap things up being able to help the team do what we did this year."
Now that his playing career is over, Narain reflects on his journey. "Overall, I'm extremely thankful and happy that I chose to come to San Diego State. The family atmosphere around the program made the decision super easy for me. I get to live in San Diego, and hopefully get to stay and work here, and start a family.
"I always felt 100 percent confident and comfortable with the coaching staff, even after Coach Fisher retired. I have a super close relationship with him, maybe even a little more than I have with Coach Dutcher. I felt confident when Dutch took over because I knew nothing was really going to change. If things did change then they changed for the better. I think Dutch did extremely good job and the proof is in the results. (Dutcher's career record is 73-26 in three seasons).
"When I was in eighth grade an article came out. They asked me how tall I was, and what I wanted to do in future. I said in the article that I wanted to go to college somewhere warm. I always hated the snow. The cold wasn't really for me so as soon as I came on my first visit to San Diego, I knew that this was a place that I could see myself living during and after school."
Those plans include a career in real estate, but they didn't start that way.
"Last summer I was looking for an internship and I was hoping it was either going to be in sales or real estate. I was talking to a bunch of people in the business world asking them questions.
"I told them my interests and asked them what they thought would suit me. A few people said I should try insurance, and a few said try real estate, so I tried both. For about six weeks I was working for an insurance agent. Then Jenny Bramer (San Diego State Executive Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator) called me and said Jim Morris would be a great guy for me to talk to. I did and right away he told me he had an internship for me for the rest of the summer and I would have my hands in a bunch of different things. He invests in a lot of small businesses, so I got to see his perspectives on that, but the real estate side of the business is what fell in love with.
"I'm probably going to start off at the bottom. I'm planning on working for Jim next year, learning more and working on getting my (real estate) license. Hopefully one day I'll do my own thing on the investment side. I want to get into flipping: buying a building, cleaning it up, fixing it and then selling it again."
With one class to complete to earn his undergraduate degree, Narain has come to the realizations that he will graduate, but there may not be a ceremony to mark the occasions. "It's kind of sad. It's more depressing for my mom because she was looking forward to it. For me, it's not the biggest deal.
"I'd rather make sure that everybody's safe and not getting each other sick. That's the more important thing right now. If it's possible, I'll walk in December."
All Aztec fans are looking forward to a safe future and seeing Nolan Narain walking across the stage in December with his diploma in hand.