Friday Features: UNA's Spehr leads from 'Down Under'
By Mike Perrin
When
Nathan Spehr goes home for the summer, he’s actually going home for the winter. And it takes him at least a whole day. By jet airliner.
Spehr is one of five international student-athletes on the University of
North Alabama men’s basketball team and one of three who hail from the Southern Hemisphere. Spehr is from Adelaide, Australia. Another Aussie, Jetani Hunter, is on the squad along with Luke Corkery from New Zealand. A pair of Lions – Lazar Petrov and Jere Vucica – are in Alabama from Macedonia and Croatia, respectively.
How did Spehr find his way from almost literally the other side of the world from Florence, Ala.? “I was playing in a nationals tournament back home when I was seen by a former UNA player, who got me into contact with Coach (Bobby) Champagne,” he said. “I spoke to Coach on the phone and my father and I decided to make a trip in April 2011 before I made my decision. After seeing the campus and playing pick-up with the guys I decided to sign in the signing period for the 2011-2012 season.”
Making the transition from Australia to the USA was a pretty big deal, although Spehr had played with his club team in America in 2009 before his contact with UNA. “Everyone is always asking me about Australia, especially the animals and what the major differences are,” the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Spehr said. His hometown has a population of more than 1 million, so making a college home in Florence – population 40,059 – was also a bit of a culture shock. “It took a while to adjust because Florence is a lot smaller than Adelaide, but also just being in a different country took a while. Everyone has been very helpful over my four years, which made the transition easier. UNA has a lot of international athletes, which also helped with adjusting.”
While Spehr has only been able to go home once a year at the end of the spring semester in May, his family and friends from Down Under are able to keep up with him thanks to the miracles of modern technology. “My family has been to visit me a couple of times over my four years, and my friend and dad are actually over here at the moment to watch my game against UAH on Senior Night,” he said. “My family and friends watch most of my games online and are always keeping up with everything.”
This season, there’s a lot for the Aussies to watch. Spehr leads UNA (12-15 overall, 9-12 in the Gulf South Conference with the regular-season finale vs. Alabama-Huntsville set for Saturday and the 2015 VisitSpaceCoast.com GSC Basketball Championships to go) in four statistical categories and is one of two players to start every game.
The senior guard is tops for UNA in scoring, averaging 16.2 points a game, 3-point percentage (42.6 percent), free-throw percentage (93.4 percent), assists (4.1 per game), steals (1.2 per game) and minutes played (36 per game). Oddly, the sharpshooter hits the same percentage from the field on 3-pointers and 2-point field-goal attempts. Spehr’s free-throw accuracy puts him at No. 2 in Division II basketball.
“I went home in the summer and worked really hard to improve myself knowing that I only had one season left in college,” Spehr said of his jump in production this season. “Being a senior, I try to be more aggressive with scoring and getting my teammates involved. My minutes per game are also higher, which helps.”
As a junior, Spehr set a UNA record by connecting on 91.2 percent of his free throws. He is almost assured of breaking his own single-season mark this year. He averaged 12.2 points a game as a junior as the Lions made their second straight trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament, in 2013-14 as GSC tournament champions. “Winning the GSC tournament last year was my most memorable moment by far,” he said. “Also going to the South Regional tournament in back-to-back years was an awesome experience.”
Spehr, who earned spots on Australian national junior teams before college, has his eye on a deep tournament run this season and more basketball following his UNA career. “I plan to keep planning basketball after my final year, whether it be back home in Australia or over in Europe.”
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Past Friday Features
11/07/2014 - NCAA Leader Chloe Richards Finds a Home at UNA.
11/14/2014 - Revival of a Rivalry.
11/21/2014 - VSU's Margaret Stauffer Finds Strength in Team, Family.
11/28/2014 - Union Off and Running.
12/05/2014 - UWA Coach Ray Stanfield Pushes Cross Country Teams to Top.
12/12/2014 - CBU Men's Basketball Making Noise.
12/19/2014 - Dickey Says UWG Football 'Right on Schedule'.
12/26/2014 - Youngsters Lead UWF Women.
1/02/2015 - UAH's Owens Rebounds From Car Crash With New Appreciation for Life, Basketball.
1/09/2015 - Freshmen Building Base for Lee Women's Success.
1/16/2015 - UWA's Chad Toocheck Overcame Addiction Lows to Reach Highs on Field.
1/23/2015 - Basketball Court at Delta State Named For a 'Legend'.
1/30/2015 - Shorter Basketball Coaches Celebrate Milestones Victories.
2/06/2015 - Union Outfielder Unfazed by Physical Challenges.
2/13/2015 - VSU's Courtney Albritton Rewriting Record Books.
2/20/2015 - Campbell Leaves 'Mark' as Union Women's Hoops Coach.