City of Basketball Love

By Zak Wolf (@ZakWolf22)
__

As an eighth grader, Nasiaah Russell sat back and watched Audenried defeat Imhotep in the Philadelphia Public League Championship last year. The victory was the first in Audenried’s history. 

Now as a freshman at Audenried, Russell looks to play a key role as the Rockets attempt to win back-to-back Pub championships and establish themselves as a basketball power in the city. 

The Rockets are led by junior Division I prospect Shayla Smith, last year’s Public League MVP, as well as senior forward Aniyah Howard, who was MVP of last year’s PPL championship. Samuel Fels transfer Senaya Parker also looks to add a spark with her scoring, but Russell brings a different dynamic to Audenried with her height and ability to read the game. 

“I’ve been watching this team since seventh grade, so when I finally got onto the court I knew I could perform,” Russell said. 

Ever since middle school, Russell has observed Audenried from the sidelines, itching at the chance to play. Now alongside players like Smith, Howard and Parker, Russell gets to showcase her skills. The 6-foot-3 center is the tallest player on Audenried’s roster, but also the youngest as the only freshman contributor. 

She averaged 7.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 4.2 bpg in the first 10 games of her career, a 7-3 start for the Rockets.

Russell has a good feel for the game, often catching the ball in the high post and reading what the defense gives her. Despite being a freshman, Russell has a high basketball I.Q. and makes smart decisions with the ball. Her maturity makes sure she never looks rushed while staying composed in the paint even when the defense collapses on her. 

“Nasiaah’s been dominating so far this season. For her only to be a freshman, she’s doing really good. It’s going to be really scary when she gets older.” Smith said. 

Basketball is in Rusell’s family. Her uncle is Mardy Collins who played at Simon Gratz high school before spending four years at Temple, eventually getting drafted by the New York Knicks with the 29th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Her step-sister Danae Carter is a forward at Villanova.

When she was younger, Russell recalled watching Carter in the driveway working on her post moves and wanted to learn. Russell tried emulating Carter’s moves, trying to get more comfortable with the ball in her hands. Russell attributed the post moves she uses now to Carter as well as her ability to finish down low. 

“She would be outside practicing and training and I was like, alright, let me see what this is about and I would do it with her,” Russell said 

Smith often wows people with her killer crossovers and knockdown 3-point shooting. Russell has a different type of eye-catching game that even impresses her highlight-reel teammate — like an athletic pass she made in transition in a recent game.

“I knew she could do that because I see her do a bunch of stuff in practice, but I never saw her do anything like that in the game,” Smith explained 

With Smith leading the way with her scoring, Russell understands her role with Audenried. The forward is aware the ball isn’t always going to be in her hands, but also knows that with much of the attention going to Smith it’s on her to be ready to step up in big moments. 

“I need to be there to help because a lot of teams are going to trap her. So I need to be available for her,” Russell said. 

The young freshman is just getting started. Russell wants to expand her offensive game and improve her outside shot, but knows for now her job is to do the little things like rebound the ball.

For Russell, she’s just enjoying the experience of playing with Audenried so far. The freshman described the team's bond and ability to communicate with each other as “special” which is key to teams who want to have postseason success. 

Along with having goals of another Public League championship, Russell has set hefty goals for herself with hopes of one day playing at the Division I level. 

Russell knows what she’s capable of and it’s on her to combine her skills and continue to develop. Russell knows there will be growing pains and mistakes, but for her it’s all about the process. 

“I just need to keep my head up,” Russell said “If I make a mistake, then I have to forget about it. Maybe I’ll make a new mistake and learn from that one as well.”