Niemczyk says he'll sign with Southeast

~ The former Bell City basketball standout had a strong season at Three Rivers

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program received another verbal commitment for the spring signing period, this one from a former area high school standout.

Bell City product Nick Niemczyk, a sophomore guard at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., recently accepted Southeast coach Dickey Nutt's scholarship offer.

Verbal commitments are nonbinding. The spring signing period begins April 14.

"I'm very excited," Niemczyk said.

Niemczyk's father, Pat Niemczyk, played basketball at Southeast in the late 1970s and early 1980s after also competing for TRCC.

"That had a little bit to do with it, but not that much," Nick Niemczyk said of his decision to attend Southeast. "I kind of always wanted to play at SEMO growing up. ... My parents were extremely excited when I told them."

The 6-foot Niemczyk, who can play both guard positions, was among the top players this year for a TRCC team that finished second in the national junior college tournament.

Niemczyk's season was cut short near the end when he suffered a torn ACL in the national semifinals and missed the title game. Since his surgery is scheduled for April 14, he said he won't be able to sign that day but plans to do so shortly thereafter.

Niemczyk said he expects to be available when practice begins in October.

"I'm going to try to work really hard and be ready," he said.

Niemczyk earned All-Region 16 honors this year when he averaged nearly 13 points per game while shooting better than 42 percent from 3-point range and better than 78 percent from the free-throw line.

He also averaged more than two assists and nearly two steals. He ranked among the region leaders in scoring, 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting, assists and steals.

Niemczyk said he worked hard between his freshman and sophomore seasons of junior college to turn himself into a solid Division I prospect. He averaged about four points per game during a TRCC freshman campaign spent coming off the bench.

"My defense got a lot better and I shot a lot better this year," said Niemczyk, who is considerably quicker now than during his high school days.

Niemczyk had a strong national tournament before being injured. He averaged 13 points in the three games he played, including a 25-point performance. He received the Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award.

Niemczyk said he also had recruiting interest from the likes of Illinois State and North Carolina-Wilmington but did not take any other official campus visits after being offered by Southeast.

"It made the choice a lot easier, especially after my knee injury, that they still wanted me," Niemczyk said.

Niemczyk, who as a Bell City senior averaged about 30 points per game to garner all-state honors, said he is excited about the prospect of helping turn around a Southeast program he grew up watching and rooting for.

"I really like coach Nutt," Niemczyk said. "I think he's going to change things around."

Nutt is prohibited by NCAA regulations from commenting on recruits until they sign.

Niemczyk is Southeast's third known verbal commitment for the spring signing period, joining 7-0, 255-pound junior college center Zach House and 6-8 high school forward Dominique Elliott.

House, a sophomore at Sauk Valley (Ill.) Community College, averaged about 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots per game this year.

Elliott averaged about six points and six rebounds this season in Savannah, Ga., for a team in Georgia's largest classification that lost only two games and featured other Division I prospects.

Southeast signed 6-9 forward Waylon Jones from Albany Tech Community College in Albany, Ga., during the early period. Jones missed his entire sophomore season with a stress fracture, meaning he will have three years of eligibility with the Redhawks.