Athlete of the Issue: Nick Teller

Take an inside look into Nick Teller’s stellar basketball career thus far, and what his plans are for the future of the program.

Photo by Napshot Media

Junior Nick Teller from Middleton, Massachusetts is this issue’s Middlesex Athlete of the Week. Scoring over 25 goals, some may know Nick for his outstanding thirds soccer career. However, Nick is most known around campus for his contributions to the varsity basketball team. Currently, Nick has received awards such as All ISL (first team all ISL), Boston Globe All Scholastic, and All NEPSAC Honorable Mention. Coming off an equally impressive junior season, Nick talks about his career thus far and his plans for the future.

Being the son of a tremendously successful Babson Basketball player, Nick has been dribbling since he was a baby. However, Nick only started playing competitively in third grade. Nick believes his drive and love for basketball comes from the inspiration he draws from his Dad. Nick’s father has taught him everything he knows: “he’s always been a great role model to me. He’s always around to rebound for me at workouts.” One of Nick’s favorite basketball memories stems from going to the NCAA Division III final four in Virginia with his Dad. The pair were able to witness Babson College win a national championship against Augustana University. Storming the court as confetti rained down, Nick and his Dad will forever enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime memory. The memory is so sacred that Nick still has the tickets and confetti in his room seven years later.

Despite going 7-17 this season, the basketball team has shown tremendous growth, doubling their number of wins from last year. With the season wrapped up, Nick says that he is “looking forward to even more wins next year.” One of Nick’s most memorable moments on the team came from his freshman season in a game against the notorious CATS Academy. Nick hit the game-tying three-pointer with only five seconds left to send the game to overtime. Naturally, the crowd erupted chanting, “he’s a freshman, he’s a freshman.” Nothing less than a surreal moment, this memory has stuck with Nick after what seemed like only a dream. Additionally, this was Nick’s first game in a Middlesex uniform, and he noted this moment is nothing less than “very special.” 

Nick’s favorite part of basketball comes from the adrenaline rush that follows scoring a difficult three in front of an erupting Middlesex student section. Additionally, Nick believes that the connections and friendships he has made on the court with his teammates are the best part. Notably, this year was “special because everyone on the team was extremely close.” Besides Coach Tabb, Nick’s favorite coach is Colin Haplin, one of Nick’s old coaches from his previous school, Masco. Nick trains with Coach Haplin during the summers as well as playing on his AAU team: “he always brings the best out of me and works me to my limit during workouts.”

Looking to the future, Nick hopes to continue to compete against the top teams in New England and continue to build lifelong friendships with his teammates. One of Nick’s goals, ever since freshman year, is to reach 1000 points by the end of his senior season. So far Nick is well on his way to completing his goal with only 142 points left. Another goal he has in mind is to finish his career 5-0 against Groton since the team is currently 4-0 against them. After high school, Nick’s goal is to play NCAA Division III basketball. If he wasn’t playing basketball his dream schools would be Duke, Vanderbilt, and Georgetown. The future's looking bright for Middlesex basketball and Nick knows, “we are building something special at Middlesex.”

Jack Francini