When Sa’eed Nelson made the move to join F.A.C.E.S. a few skeptics voiced their concerns. Some people felt it was too far for the Atlantic City resident to travel while others indicated he couldn’t play alongside talented guard RJ Cole. Well this ultra quick guard with the heart of a lion proved the critics wrong and is excelling under Coach Rob Cole.
The distance never really concerned Sa’eed’s father Jeff Nelson. “After we reached out to Coach Cole and attended his practice we immediately felt the family atmosphere and were hooked. Rob took us in and really made my son work harder than any other coach he ever had. And when you weigh that against driving from Atlantic City to practice it was an easy decision” said Nelson. Cole also uses Nelson’s long trip to inspire other players. “I always say if he can make it to practice than no one else has an excuse to miss practice” said Cole.
The second concern was whether Sa’eed could co-exist with RJ Cole the well known F.A.C.E.S. guard and coach’s son. The two young players put that to rest early on and have become best friends and the top 10U one-two punch in the region. Coach Cole feels the same way, “When I told RJ that Sa’eed might be coming he didn’t believe me at first but when he walked through the gym door RJ was grinning ear to ear. He loves it because it takes pressure off of him to handle all the guard duties. Now he can concentrate on being a true point guard and doesn’t have to score so much. He’s helped our team tremendously” Cole finished. Off the court the two have become inseparable texting and talking on the phone also spending nights at each other houses as Jeff explains, “ My wife and I knew that when F.A.C.E.S. came to the AC Showcase that Sa’eed was going to ask if RJ could stay at the house so she started shopping early” said Nelson.
This is just an example of how sometimes the most unlikely situations work out for the best.
