Santa Clara is once again proving to be a place where those with the surname Nash can grow by leaps and bounds. Making the most of a great opportunity seems to be John Nash's middle name, even though he is no relation to the former Bronco All-American and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash '96.
Seeing the chance to gain extensive experience on camera and behind the scenes, Nash, in his second year as a Santa Clara Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant, tossed himself into the madness of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas Feb. 29-March 5. While most people tuned in to watch the games, Nash spent the time editing, producing and appearing on camera while working with the WCC Digital Ground Crew.
After volunteering at the tournament last year, Nash decided to submit an application to the WCC to work on the WCC Digital Ground Crew in its first year. Soon after, he received the news that he would be packing his bags for Vegas.
Nash did on-camera stories on everything from the cheerleaders and national anthem singer, to a one-on-one with WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich and then a pre-game interview one-on-one with Saint Mary's senior forward Clint Steindl, a native of Mackay, Queensland, Australia.
"The best part of the tournament was just getting ample of opportunities to be on-camera," said Nash, whose responsibilities ranged from in-game interviews to feature stories for the WCC YouTube channel
Click here to see some of John Nash's videos for the WCC Tournament.
John Nash Talks With Clint Steindel prior to WCC Final
John Nash Talks About National Anthem Singers
John Nash Talks Band and Cheerleaders at the WCC Tournament
The hectic environment contributed to 13-14 hour workdays for Nash, who soaked in everything he could learn from the one-week experience.
"The whole process really forced me to be creative, as we had to find something to report on, gather the details, and then find a way to tell the story," said Nash.
By the conclusion of the trip, Nash felt as though he had made the most of the opportunity.
"I walked away Las Vegas with some footage that I can use for my reel down the road and that is huge!" said Nash. "The whole experience made me even more excited to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, whatever that may be; play-by-play or on-camera."
Along the way, Nash has met with a number of radio and television personalities and has embraced Anthony Passarelli, the Director of the Bronco Radio Network, as one of his top mentors. Passarelli, a seasoned radio veteran, will enter his sixth year with the Bronco men's basketball team in 2012-13 as the play-by-play analyst.
A jack of all trades, Nash gained plenty of experience this year on camera as the co-host of the Bronco Weekly Sports Wrap with rising senior soccer player Lauren Matheson. Click here for their latest show which will begin again the week of April 2 after a break for finals and spring break.
He attended WCC Pre-Season Media Day as well and interviewed all nine WCC head coaches. Click here to see his interview with BYU head coach Dave Rose.
He is also teaming up this Spring with another Media Relations Student Assistant, Brandon Rebboah, to call a number of Bronco baseball games in an internet broadcast on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. Click here for the release on which games Nash and Rebboah will call. Additional games are expected to be added to the schedule. Nash got his feet wet this past season helping on the men's and women's basketball audio broadcasts as well.
In addition to working in the Santa Clara Athletic Media Relations Office for the last two years, Nash also worked as the back-up goalie to record-setting Michael Wishart on the men's water polo team. With Wishart graduating this June, Nash, a rising senior, is working hard to get in the net as the starting goalie next season. He has proven he can get the job done out of the pool with his talents on camera and now he's working to get a chance to show he can do it in the pool too.