March 31, 2013
The Michigan freshman Nik Stauskas bounded into the Sheraton hotel in downtown Dallas to meet his parents and immediately declared: “I’m going to go off this game. I can feel it.”
It was Friday afternoon, before the Wolverines’ game against Kansas in the Round of 16. Despite his optimism, Stauskas, who scored 11 points, shot 1 for 4 from 3-point range, extending his slump from beyond the arc to 2 of 16 over a four-game stretch.
On Sunday morning, before Michigan played Florida in the South Region final at Cowboys Stadium, Stauskas had renewed faith. In a text message to his mother, Ruta, he wrote, “I can feel it, I’m due.”
This time, Stauskas’s prediction was as accurate as his shot. He found a comfortable spot in the left corner and shredded the Gators by making 6 of 6 3-point shots. The barrage helped the Wolverines (30-7) roll to a 79-59 victory and a berth in the Final Four.
“We have this thing, ‘Shoot it deep in the bucket,’ never leave it short, give it a chance,” Stauskas said. “I shot like I know how to shoot it, and it was going in. It was never a lack of confidence.”
Stauskas finished with 22 points and 7-of-8 shooting from the field. His only miss came with 12 minutes 27 seconds left and the Wolverines leading by 58-44. As a defender rushed toward him near the baseline, he faked a shot, dribbled and missed a 15-footer.
Other than that, Stauskas never gave the nets a break.
“I was just letting them fly,” he said.
In Michigan’s offense, Stauskas frequently stands along the baseline or deep in the corner, waiting for the ball. When point guard Trey Burke tries to turn the corner after a screen by center Mitch McGary near the top of the key, Burke can drive to the basket, pass to McGary rolling to the basket or look to the corners for Stauskas, Tim Hardaway Jr. or Glenn Robinson III.
When Florida’s defenders surrounded McGary or tried to help with Burke, the ball went to Stauskas. His first 3-pointer gave the Wolverines a 7-0 lead. The Gators could not contain Burke, so they went to a zone. Stauskas answered with back-to-back 3s late in the first half to put Michigan ahead by 41-17.
“Nik didn’t have to do anything,” Hardaway said with a chuckle. “He was just standing in the corner, and we were finding him.”
Standstill shooters can have difficulty in the Big Ten, a conference in which defenses usually force players to dribble and make decisions. It can be a chaotic existence for a shooter, especially when he faces heckling from the opposing bench.
One Big Ten coach cursed at Stauskas in the middle of a shot, his father, Paul, said. Coaches from programs outside the conference have also peppered him with verbal abuse.
Opponents try to annoy him with taunts when he sets up in the left corner. Stauskas dishes it right back. He was called for a technical foul against West Virginia.
When Stauskas was growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, he was devoted to basketball, not hockey. When his father gave the family a choice of a putting green, a pool or a basketball court in the backyard, Nik pleaded for the court. After the court was installed, Paul’s duty was to stand under the basket and return the ball when it fell through the net.
“Forty in a row one time,” Paul Stauskas said.
Nik Stauskas, who entered the starting lineup in the seventh game of the season, is averaging 11.5 points. He is shooting 45 percent from the 3-point line and 85 percent from the foul line, and he is also a skilled passer.
Stauskas enjoys playing against zone defenses, he said, but the next zone he sees will be the long, athletic web of Syracuse on Saturday in a national semifinal in Atlanta.
Florida guard Mike Rosario was too short to cover the 6-foot-6 Stauskas in the corner, and the Gators’ Erik Murphy was too slow. Syracuse is neither too short nor too slow, but Stauskas is undeterred.
“I love zone defenses,” he said. “I’m built for that.”
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Nik Stauskas was born on October 7th, 1993 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Stauskas
October 7th, 1993
10 + 7 +1+9+9+3 = 39 = his life lesson = Dream come true.
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October 7th, 1993
10 + 7 = 17 = his core number = Superstar.
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October 7th, 1993
7 + 1+9+9+3 = 29 = his “secret” number = Skilled. Talented. Coordinated. Self-confidence. A real team player.
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October 7th, 1993
October 7th
10 + 7 +2+0+1+2 = 22 = his personal year (from October 7th, 2012 to October 6th, 2013) = Lucky.
22 year + 4 (April) = 26 = his personal month (from April 7th, 2013 to May 6th, 2013) = Fans. Popular. In the news. Making headlines.
26 month + 8 (8th of the month on Monday April 8th, 2013) = 34 = his personal day = Generating a buzz. Ratings spike. In spurts.
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using the number/letter grid:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z
Where:
A = 1 J = 1 S = 1
B = 2 K = 2 T = 2
C = 3 L = 3 U = 3
D = 4 M = 4 V = 4
E = 5 N = 5 W = 5
F = 6 O = 6 X = 6
G = 7 P = 7 Y = 7
H = 8 Q = 8 Z = 8
I = 9 R = 9
Nik Stauskas
592 12131211 28
his path of destiny = 28 = Unstoppable. Hero. Nothing is impossible.
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predictions for the year 2013 are at:
http://predictionsyear2013.com/
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discover some of your own numerology for FREE at:
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learn numerology from numerologist to the world, Ed Peterson:
https://www.createspace.com/3411561
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sports astrology and numerology 