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"To even be in the same conversation as some of the names of those guys is a real honor," Nathan said. "I don't know if I would classify myself as good as they were. People are saying it and it's nice."
And the Borgia-Missouri State pipeline has been a productive one in all sports. Other Borgia standouts to star in Springfield have included Cara Hackmann, Tina Noelke and Katie Werges in volleyball and Matt Pickens in soccer. Another former Borgia standout, baseball player Spiker Helms, is expected to transfer to the MSU baseball team from MCC-Longview next fall.
Nathan feels the people who have been around him have helped him tremendously and deserve much of the credit.
"I have been blessed with great teammates and great coaches," he said. "It's been a lot of fun."
Scheer is happy to having his college plans worked out.
"It's a big relief," Scheer said about signing early. "That always was a goal when I started getting recruited last year to figure it out before this season and be able to focus on what we've got here at Borgia this year."
Scheer already has his major picked out.
"Going down to Missouri State, I'll probably major in construction management," Nathan said. "They've got a pretty good program down there for that and it's hands-on, which I enjoy."
Nathan also considered Evansville and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay as top choices for his college future.
Scheer was named to the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Class 4 all-state team and received similar honors from the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association while helping the Knights win the Class 4 state title.
"Definitely last year's season was the most fun in basketball that I've ever had," Scheer said.
Other highlights for Nathan include playing varsity as a freshman and reaching 1,000 points.
"Probably just playing as a freshman was a goal and a dream come true," Scheer said. "To be able to have done that was nice. To reach 1,000 points was nice, too. I'm not done yet. I've got another year. We'll see if we can repeat what we did last year."
Many remember the gritty performances Scheer turned in down the stretch. Scheer broke a bone in his foot during practice following the district championship game. He missed the team's sectional game, but came back to play in the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship contests despite the injury.
"I had the surgery in the offseason and it took a while to get back," Scheer said. "But now I'm back to full go and ready for this season."
Scheer knows the Knights have a lot of hard work ahead of them. Borgia graduated three starters and key reserves from last season's squad. "We're definitely a young team," Scheer said. "We've got four great seniors back from last year's team. We're looking good right now. We're only two practices into the season. We've got a lot to get better at. We're going to need some guys to step up this year, but we should be all right."
Basketball has been a way of life for Nathan and his friends.
"Growing up, my friends and I played all the time," Scheer said. "We played in a driveway or anywhere we could find a ball and basket. Michael Dempsey even had a goal inside his house we could play with if it was raining or snowing outside."
Scheer has played club ball with St. Louis Gateway and the St. Louis Jets "My coach who was here today, Coach (Kevin) McArthy, has been a huge help for me," Scheer said. "I've been with him since the seventh grade. He's done so much for me that I can't even begin to tell you about it."
In grade school, Scheer played for Our Lady of Lourdes.
"I played grade school ball at Our Lady of Lourdes and had some success over there," Scheer said. "That was a good time, too. It's been a lot of fun. I've been with Sam Tochtrop and Tyler Ressel since grade school. To have gone from seventh grade to a senior in high school with them has been fun."
Now, with his college decision completed, Scheer is looking forward to the 2009-10 season, which will start with the St. Francis Borgia Pepsi-Cola Thanksgiving Tournament which runs Nov. 25-28.
"We've got some big goals set this year," Scheer said. "Hopefully, if we work hard and come together as a team, we'll see what we can do."
