In his second season with the Texas A&M men’s basketball program, junior forward Josh Nebo has proven to be a valuable asset on the court.
In the Aggies’ 81-80 win over Alabama on Saturday, Nebo had a career-high 21 points and added four blocks and seven rebounds. Nebo said the win gave the Aggies (7-7, 1-2 SEC) a lot of confidence moving forward.
“We just have to stay confident in ourselves whether [we have] a bad game or a good game,” Nebo said.
Nebo had a late entrance into the basketball world, not playing his first game until junior high. Before then, he was a defensive end in football and skateboarded recreationally. Nebo credits his sister Kim with getting him involved in basketball.
“I started playing because my sister played,” Nebo said. “I started to follow her path and decided to take after that. I hit a growth spurt and that kind of worked out my way.”
That growth spurt changed Nebo from a 5’7” middle schooler into the 6’9” forward he is today. He became more serious about basketball during high school at Cypress Lakes in Houston.
After graduation, Nebo played for Saint Francis University in Loretta, Pennsylvania but elected to transfer to A&M following his sophomore season. In his first two collegiate seasons, he was named the Northeastern Conference defensive player of the year, set a single-season school record with 89 blocked shots and led the school in career blocks with 144.
Nebo was forced to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer eligibility requirements, and he said there was an adjustment period after not being able to play.
“I feel like I’m improving a lot,” Nebo said. “I’m getting more comfortable after sitting out last year and with my teammates. I’m just going to continue to work on my game and get better.”
Head coach Billy Kennedy said while it was Nebo’s defensive prowess that first piqued his interest, Nebo has proven to be an offensive force as well.
“I didn’t know how good he was going to be offensively, but he’s worked hard in the off-season,” Kennedy said. “He gets in the gym, and he works a lot on his shot.”
Nebo said as the season progresses, his focus will be on consistency.
“I feel like I still have another level to get to just being consistent in my effort and everything I do, whether it’s rebounding, blocking shots or scoring — just being consistent in that every day,” Nebo said.
Nebo and the Aggies will take the court against No. 14 Auburn at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Reed Arena.