On May 1st the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to postpone the Draft Lottery and Draft Combine in Chicago due to an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to all of the seniors who have wrapped up their college careers, the early-entry deadline for underclassmen was August 3rd and the NBA deadline is approaching on August 17th. The lottery has been postponed until August 20th and the draft itself is scheduled to take place virtually on October 16th. We will spend the upcoming months interviewing as many members of the 2020 draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Nate Sestina about playing at Kentucky and what it would mean to him to get drafted.
You were born/raised in Pennsylvania: what made you choose Bucknell to start your college career? I did not have any D-1 offers until my senior year but after getting invited to Bucknell’s recruiting camp I made a bit of a name for myself. They asked me about my grades, followed me for the rest of the year, and then offered me a scholarship. I fell in love with the campus/architecture/town: just everything. It felt like home and the coaching staff was great at presenting everything so I could not pass it up. I committed that August and the rest is history.
In January of 2019 you scored a career-high 32 PTS/11-11 FG in a win over Holy Cross: was it just 1 of those situations where literally every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That is the best way to put it. I am a faithful kid so I give all credit to God. After seeing my 1st 2-3 shots go in I just kept putting them up and my teammates kept feeding me the ball and getting me open.
You finished that season 2nd in the conference with 8.5 RPG: what is the secret to being a good rebounder? Positioning is important but you also need the will to rebound. It takes energy and you have to read the ball as it comes off the rim and give a little bump to your opponent.
What made you choose Kentucky for your grad transfer year, and what makes John Calipari such a great coach? I had never really lived in a city before but fell in love with Lexington. It gave me a chance to meet new people and diversify myself. What separates Coach Cal from everybody else is the relationships that he develops with his players. You have the best gear, you get to use state-of-the-art facilities, you travel/eat well, etc. It might sound corny but he really is a father to all of us: none of his former players will have anything bad to say about him. I really noticed that during my visit.
Last year you were 2nd on the team with 40.7 3P%: what is the key to making shots from behind the arc when you are 6’9”? Just getting as many game-speed reps as you can during practice. You also have to be in great shape: assistant coach Kenny Payne (who was hired by the Knicks last week) really helped us with that. Our whole team was in incredible shape, which allowed to make 3-PT shots late in games. My sister Kristin actually taught me to shoot the ball with a high release so that it would not get blocked.
You were also named to the SEC 1st-Year Academic Honor Roll: how were you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I give all of that credit to my parents. They are educators who recently retired after 37 years of teaching so I always made sure to do my best to get As and Bs. Grad school was different after doing it for 4 years at Bucknell at a high level. I did not have as many classes at Kentucky so the time-management was the easiest part for me. My classes were at night so I had all day to work out/practice/get my homework done.
You entered the 2020 SEC tourney as the #1 seed but then learned that the SEC/NCAA tourneys were canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? When the initial news broke about the SEC tourney being canceled I felt glad that at least the NCAA tourney was still on. We were on the bus heading home when my mom called to tell me that the NCAA tourney had been canceled, and then I realized that my college career was over. Looking back now I definitely think that it was the right decision: I selfishly wanted to make a run at a national title but the safety of others is more important. As bad as it hurt in March, I am glad that we did not play, and we are still dealing with the coronavirus.
Your brother Andrew played college basketball, your mother Rachelle was a college swimmer, and your grandfather Richard played college football: who is the best athlete in the family? That is tough. I will exclude myself but my grandfather is an incredible athlete: he is 85 years old and still golfs every day! My sister Kristin was also a dominant high school player.
You are 1 of several Wildcats who might get drafted this year (including Ashton Hagans/Tyrese Maxey/Immanuel Quickley/Nick Richards/Kahlil Whitney/EJ Montgomery): which of them do you think will end up becoming the best pro player? That is a hard 1 as well because I want them all to be successful. Immanuel really made a name for himself this year and put a lot of time/effort into that. He did not play the way he wanted to as a freshman but came back as a sophomore and put in a lot of work: I think that he will play until he is 40 because he loves the sport so much. Tyrese has been a superstar since age 13 and Ashton is a great PG. If I had to choose just 1 then I might go with Immanuel due to longevity.
Last month it was reported that you signed a contract to play in the Ukrainian SuperLeague: what would it mean to you to get drafted by an NBA team, and if you do not get drafted then are you heading to Ukraine? We were looking at the contract that they sent over but never signed anything because I wanted to make sure it was a good fit. To get drafted would be a dream come true after lots of trials/tribulations. My journey has been super-unconventional but if I do not get drafted it is fine: we will just figure out somewhere else to go and hopefully I can play for a really long time.