Nathan Barker doesn’t smile or laugh too often when he’s caught up in the action on the basketball court with the Memorial Sea-Hawks.
He’s all business, working feverishly in pursuit of putting up points and helping his team win games in the Atlantic University Sport varsity men’s basketball setup.
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He has been living a hectic life since graduating from high school three years ago. His life has been pretty much a daily diet of nursing studies and throwing hoops with the Sea-Hawks.
But, away from the hustle and bustle of school, Barker shows a different side. He is known to his friends as a funny guy who is always game for doing silly things or saying silly things.
“I’m always doing something goofy. I’m not very serious when I’m with the guys, that’s for sure,” he said.
That sense of humour goes a long way when life is crazy with basketball and studies. It’s the side of him that comes out when he hangs out with his buddies when he gets some time to himself and being able to keep active doing everything from playing hockey to shooting hoops on a nearby outdoor basketball court.
That break away from the grind is something that he embraces because his schedule can get really tough to handle at times.
You can be super busy and it can get stressful at times, so hanging out with the guys you kind of forget about it all for a bit and just relax and have fun,” he said.
The Sea-Hawks had a 2-2 record in pre-season play so Barker is hoping good things will come to the team this year.
He is one of only three third-year players on a roster that boasts a number of fresh-faced rookies, so he knows there will be a learning curve and he will be expected to play a leadership role on and off the court.
That’s just fine with him because he remembers being the rookie in the mix.
“We got to set good examples for all the younger guys and point them in the right direction,” he said.
Being a nurse was his goal in life, but he realized that wasn’t a career he wanted to pursue so he has shifted his focus. He is switching gears to study kinesiology with hopes of being a physiotherapist or chiropractor when he’s done with the books.
He always wanted to pursue a career where he’s helping people so he’s content knowing he will accomplish that goal, albeit in a different setting than he had envisioned a few years back.