Suburban Life Male Most Valuable Athlete: Nate Shockey, York, basketball, senior

WHY HE WAS SELECTED:

Shockey scored 26 points, including a tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation, in York's 51-41 overtime win over Lyons

Shockey talked about his big game and more with Suburban Life sports editor Joshua Welge. Here is an edited version of the transcript.

Welge: What happened on the shot to force overtime?

Shockey: Coach drew up a play to get me open coming off a screen. I knew once I got that play I was going to make that shot or make a play to get that shot. I'm glad I got an open look.

Welge: You guys were down late in that game. Do you feel somewhat fortunate to get the win?

Shockey: We definitely were struggling offensively. But so far this season our defense is something we've been priding ourselves on. We knew we had that going for us. We turned defense into offense and everybody got rolling in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Welge: How has the dynamic been different this year, graduating so many key guys off a 29-win team?

Shockey: It's been a lot different. I've had to take a different leadership role, which I feel I've embraced. It's a nice challenge to lead this young group of guys. A lot of people are counting us out, but we have a lot of talented guys. We are shocking a lot of people, but it's not a shock to us. We know we can hang with anybody.

Welge: How did your commitment to North Dakota come together?

Shockey: They saw me play in one of the summer league shootouts at Ridgewood. They liked how I played, and they offered me after a big game. They showed a lot of love, showed they like me through the ups and downs.

Welge: What parts of your game have you worked on since last season?

Shockey: Definitely my shooting. I want to be a better shooter and obviously that takes practice. I feel I've got multiple ways to score, which makes me a better threat, which can get me shots or draw defenders to kick out to my teammates.