Nick Cubley Is Fun to Watch -- Not So Much to Play Against

Coming off his San Marin High (Novato) junior season in which he averaged 21.0 points, 5.8 boards, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals while shooting 50% overall from the floor and 40% from three-point range, 6-foot-3, 180 Nick Cubley also honored his late cousin Robert Gaddini in fine fashion. Cubley switched from jersey #24 to #22 as a tribute after Gaddini died in an auto accident in 2021.  

Picking out a pair of elements as his top offensive strengths, Cubley offered, "probably getting to the basket and my mid-range shooting." On-line video abounds of him challenging offenders when powering to the basket as well as demonstrating elusiveness during his dribble-drives.

Cubley came in short, sweet and direct with his answer as to why he chose basketball as his sporting direction. "Because you can play by yourself, it's you, the ball and the hoop." Unlike baseball, football and the like.

Recalling his best basketball moment as "a 45 point explosion," made all the sweeter because it came last January in a road contest versus crosstown rival Novato.

He sees himself as a leader on his teams, stating "I'm pretty vocal and will speak up when something goes wrong."

As for influences, Cubley cited "definitely both my older brother and my Dad." Curiously, his basketball matchups with his father concluded when "he came down with a bunch of injuries once I became bigger than him." Such driveway familial pairings typically end when a size differential favoring the son comes to the fore.

 

Included in the "influentials" group is Michael Turner, the former Marin Catholic High star who went on to play at Hartford from 2006-2009 and then overseas professionally. Turner is now a coach and a trainer in Marin County. "He has been a big help," Cubley explained, "working with me my whole life and he knows who I am as a player and a person."

"I've known Nick since he was a little guy," Turner said. "We're both Novato kids. He has a work ethic like none I've seen combined with slashing ability and a talent for getting to the rim.'

He continued, "Nick is a natural leader as his teammates gravitate towards him. With the kids I work with, I try to pass along a grand vision. I begin by asking what they want to do and what they are willing to do and I tell them what it will take. I don't sugarcoat anything." He provided a succinct example with "if you want to be a D1 guard you have to handle the rock and knock down the three."

 
Cubley also plays for Team Rampage and Coach Brandon Bracy in the spring and summer. As Bracy explained, "Nick is still under the radar but he had a phenomenal summer. He is super athletic -- D1 athleticism -- and plays similarly to (13-time NBA All Star) Dwyane Wade." Bracy offered that Menlo College, Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State have expressed interest.

Despite a youthful hoops roster, San Marin High finished third in the Marin County Athletic League last season. With a year's added experience, the Mustangs will "be one of the top teams in league in 2023-24," according to Cubley.

Regarding recruiting, Cubley is wide open but would love to land "somewhere on the West Coast."