Zach Nutall’s lasting mark on SMU men’s basketball - The Dallas Morning News

UNIVERSITY PARK – On Jan. 11, in the first half of what would be SMU’s third straight loss, Zach Nutall went on a full sprint to the basket and left his feet.

Two Tulane defenders ensured Nutall wouldn’t make it to his destination. He didn’t make the basket, but he did earn a trip to the free throw line, even if he had to limp to get there. Nutall’s pain was apparent, increasing the likelihood that Rob Lanier would take out his senior guard after his free throws.

But Nutall didn’t look toward the bench, and Lanier didn’t look to take him out.

Instead, on the next possession, Nutall made a 3-pointer – limp and all.

“Zach is a tough, competitive guy who wants to win. And as much as he puts into it, that’s how disappointed he gets,” Lanier said after the game. “And he’ll come back tomorrow and have a great attitude, and he’ll be great at practice on Friday, and he’ll be great on Saturday, and I know that he’ll do that for the rest of the season.”

The reason for that limitless investment, Nutall said, is because he sees the bigger picture.

SMU, sitting at 7-13 after a 2-point loss to Wichita State on Sunday, likely isn’t postseason bound, barring a complete turnaround in the final 11 games of the regular season. The focus has shifted to gathering experience in Lanier’s first season and improving for the future.

Nutall – who is second on SMU in points per game (13.9) – won’t be a part of that bigger picture, but the senior continues to lead anyways.

“That’s just who he is,” said SMU assistant Andre Owens, who was also an assistant at Sam Houston State while Nutall played there

And who he always has been.

When Nutall brings up his hometown, he often prefaces it with a specific descriptor.

“Little ol’ Bryan, Texas,” he’ll proudly say.

He grew up surrounded by family, with aunts, uncles and cousins nearby. Everything he needed was within minutes, and any trip outside the city limits felt like a road trip.

Huntsville, where Sam Houston State is located, wasn’t much of a change for Nutall, who spent the first three seasons of his college basketball career there. But Dallas? Close to three hours from home and one of the biggest cities in the United States? That was different from little old Bryan, Texas.

When Nutall decided to enter the transfer portal last season, Texas A&M, back home in Brazos County, was a possibility, he said. But he wanted to get out of his comfort zone and away from the crutch that being close to home provides.

“I think what I enjoy the most is trying to figure it out on my own,” Nutall said, “and coming up short on my own, you know?”

In other words, Nutall believes life is about experiences. As a college basketball player, he’s had some unique ones.

He played immediately at Sam Houston State, learning from a veteran group of seniors. When he was a sophomore, he was to replace their production as well as their leadership. From a production standpoint he did plenty, earning first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. He was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year as a junior.

But becoming a leader on the court took time, and taking on the role at SMU was an entirely new experience. Nutall said he’s learned a lot, which Owens said was clear when he arrived at SMU this season.

“It’s natural to him,” Owens said of the way Nutall not only leads, but also how he speaks to his teammates. “It just rolls off the tongue.”

That not only comes from experience, Nutall said, but also from his mother, Marie, the pastor at New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Bryan. She stamped scriptures into his head from birth, and he said he turns to them often to deal with the ups and downs of the season.

“Those scriptures, as a kid, don’t really affect you until you grow up and experience losing,” Nutall said, “or you experience winning, or you experience trials. And now that I’m in this growth phase, all those scriptures just hit a little bit different.”

Though this season hasn’t been ideal – in terms of wins and losses – he hasn’t relinquished his duties, Owens said.

“A lot of guys who are seniors on a team like this, they might just be like, ‘I’m going to get mine and go about my business,’ " Owens said. “It’s impressive for sure. He’s invested in the program.”

Nutall’s unwavering commitment stems from wanting to help those younger than him improve. It’s what his uncle Curtis did for him before he passed away in 2009. Nutall has a chain with his uncle’s picture on it that he’ll wear from time to time. He dedicated this season to his uncle, and fittingly, he aspires to leave the same impression on his younger teammates.

“This experience, this journey, what can I teach someone else?” Nutall said of his goal. “I just want to keep sharing the wealth and that experience and share the journey.”

Even when the journey of this SMU program continues after he’s no longer in a Mustangs uniform.

On Twitter: @JoeJHoyt

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