Ambrosini plays hard, smart
So what did Fortuna High's Nate Ambrosini do this winter? The short answer: enough to be named the Most Valuable Player of the Humboldt-Del Norte Conference.
The 6-foot-5 2014 prospect earned that honor, one that generally is bestowed on a senior, plus he was also selected as a Times Standard First Team honoree.
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His reaction to the former: "It feels great -- I was happy with the way I played this season. I set some goals at the beginning of the year and one was to work as hard as I could and the other was being named the MVP."
The Huskies finished 8-1 in league, 22-8 overall, this after promising point Justin Claus was sidelined for a time mid-season with a concussion.
But Ambrosini isn't resting on his laurels. In fact, it's more a seeking out of further challenges.
Two days a week, he participates in a basketball class at College of the Redwoods, consisting of drills and five-on-five playing alongside members of the Corsairs team.
Plus when able to do so, he also is a member of the Humboldt Wild club team. It's a group of seniors from the high schools in the area who participate in tournaments close to home.
But his primary hoops activity is practicing and playing for Coach Jason Jennings' Play Hard Play Smart Black squad during this critical spring and summer period.
Jennings is a big Ambrosini fan.
He offered, "Nate has a great handle, he's bouncy with good lateral quickness and is a lights out shooter. He can play the one, two and three but he's under the radar."
Asked the level he sees Ambrosini playing at, Jennings offered, "the Gonzaga, St. Mary's, WCC level."
What are the senior-to-be's goals for the next few months?
"Getting my name out there and getting noticed," a sometimes difficult task for a talent living so far up north. He also wants to "continue to sharpen my skills and improving my overall game."
As for the 2013-14 season, Ambrosini's goals are for his team to have an even more successful season and to nab the top talent award again. His set of basketball skills combined with a 4.25 grade point average should make him a mighty attractive prospect.