Nick Shattuck tried, tried oh so hard, to hide the pain. There was no hobbling up and down the court, no call for any breaks, not even the slightest cringe.
But Shattuck knew, his teammates knew, and head coach Kevin Small knew he just wasn’t anywhere near 100 percent.
And 50 percent may have been pushing it.
The Ursinus senior, who set the tone for the Bears’ offense all season - setting school and Centennial Conference scoring records along the way - was almost a non-factor in Friday night’s NCAA Division III Final Four semifinal against Amherst.
But only a non-factor on the stat sheet.
That’s where Shattuck simply could not hide the fact he wasn’t himself. The numbers - 3 of 16 from the field for only 10 points, only three rebounds and seven, count em’, seven turnovers - were very uncharacteristic Shattuck numbers.
The 6-foot-5 guard went into the postseason with a badly bruised heal. Before he recovered from that painful injury, he turned an ankle. Then, just as that was beginning to feel better, he turned the other ankle.
Rest and rehabilitation couldn’t get him back to 100 percent. Neither could workouts in the pool.
And stepping into the national spotlight on two bad wheels?
“I thought I was OK with the one bad ankle, but after (hurting the other) last week, it’s been pretty tough,” Shattuck said following Friday’s 84-58 loss to Amherst. “I wasn’t able to work out with the team that much either, so I was feeling a little winded in the beginning of the game.”
A 53 percent shooter from the field this season, Shattuck’s versatility was limited. Even though he had three blocks to go with those three rebounds - three below his norm - his explosiveness on the offensive end just wasn’t there.
There was simply no first step.
“And a big part of my game is that first step,” Shattuck said. “I beat guys on that first step, so not having it hurt.”
But not once did Shattuck offer an excuse — or even think about sitting down this weekend.
“Not playing never once crossed my mind,” he said. “This is a once in a life opportunity. I wanted to be here, and I wanted to help my teammates. (The injuries) hurt, but I felt I had to be out there.”
Small sure won’t forget the effort.
“I can’t say enough about Nick,” Small said. “His courage, his conviction — the kid played on two severely injured ankles. He’s been the heart and soul of this team.”

FAMILY TIES
Ursinus junior guard Eric Burnett’s uncle, Dr. Carl Burnett, used to have a practice in Roanoke, just a few blocks from the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, where Burnett and the Bears are staying.
Originally from Delaware County, Dr. Burnett was also once affiliated with Stowe Family Practice.

ENCORE
Ursinus junior guard John Noonan’s uncle, Kevin McClatchy, played the final game of his collegiate career at the Salem Civic Center back in 1985. McClatchy was a member of the Washington & Lee College team, which is north of here, off I-81.
McClatchy, who became an actor and appeared such soap operas as Another World, Guiding Light and General Hospital as well as the television series NCIS, now resides in Ohio. He drove here Friday to watch Noonan and the Bears take on Amherst.

BEAR FANS
Ursinus may have had the largest following of anyone for Friday’s semifinals. A bus of students and fans arrived here a few hours before the 5 p.m. tip-off. A line of cars full of students pulled into the Hotel Roanoke shortly before noon.
Among those making the trip south was Boyertown High School graduate Mike Ziemak, a member of Ursinus’ baseball team.
“We were rained out Thursday and our game (today) was pushed back, so a lot of us wanted to get down here to support the (basketball) team,” Ziemak said.
Ziemak had an outstanding career at Boyertown and was a four-year starter in the infield for the American Legion Bears who played in the 2004 World Series in Corvallis, Ore.
Teaming up with Ziemak in a pregame pep rally were Ursinus field hockey standouts Kate Sutherland (Perkiomen Valley), Jen Moore (Phoenixville) and Nikki Thren (Upper Perkiomen) and football starter Shea Wisler (Upper Perkiomen). Also making the trip was Upper Perkiomen senior Dane Kress, who had an outstanding season at defensive end for the Tribe.


FROM ALL CORNERS
Washington, which is located within a mile of the St. Louis Cardinals’ ballpark, has the only starting lineup with players from five different states.
The Bears opened Friday night’s semifinal with Ross Kelley of Portland, Ore.; Tyler Nading of Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Division III Player of the Year Troy Ruths of Sugar Land, Tex.; Aaron Thompson of Elida, Ohio; and Carmeron Smith of Noblesville, Ind.
Amherst’s starting lineup features two players from California and one each from New York, Michigan and New Jersey.
Hope has four players from its home state of Michigan, while the fifth is from Burr Ridge, Ill.

Kevin Small passed on having the spotlight all to himself Tuesday night.
Instead of dressing up in a coat and tie and attending the Philadelphia Area Small College Coaches Association’s annual dinner at the University of the Sciences – where he was to receive the Sam Cozen Coach of the Year award – Small stepped into his sweats and retreated to Helfferich Hall to run his Ursinus basketball team through one more two-hour practice.
“Of all the honors, well, this one matters the most because it comes from my friends in the (coaching) profession, my colleagues,” Small said. “It carries a very special meaning to me.”
But…
“We have some work to do here, though,” Small added, pointing toward the nearby Ursinus gym.
Tuesday evening’s practice was the Bears’ last one at home. They’ll get together for another workout soon after arriving at the Salem Civic Center in Salem Va., to prepare for the NCAA Division III semifinal showdown against defending champion Amherst, Mass.
“We can’t wait to get down, work on some things, and get ready for Amherst,” Small said.
Small was excited.
But no more than he was for the season’s first practice back in October. And no more than he was for his very first practice at Ursinus eight years ago.
An assistant for nine years – three seasons each at Haverford (1991-94), Ursinus (1994-97) and Swarthmore (1997-99) – Small was finally a head coach … and just a flip or two of the desk calendar past his 30th birthday.
Ursinus never saw anyone bring as much energy and enthusiasm into its basketball program as Small did, never had anyone as committed to the game and the young men who played it as Small was.
It became evident that first season.
And it’s been oh so evident this season.
“We had the youngest staff in the (Centennial Conference) when we first came here,” Small said. “I wasn’t awestruck, but I knew what I was up against, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Small was referring, of course, to conference coaching legends like Glenn Robinson of Franklin & Marshall, Bill Nelson of Johns Hopkins, Dave Madera of Muhlenberg, and George Petrie of Gettysburg – who he got the best of four times this winter.
“Those guys aren’t just good coaches, they are some of the pillars of Division III basketball,” Small said.
Perhaps, but it didn’t take Small long before he was matching wits – and wins – with the hierarchy.
That first season (2000-01), the Bears won the Centennial Conference’s Eastern Division title and advanced to the playoffs for the first time … and they haven’t missed the playoffs in any season since.
During the remarkable run, two of Small’s teams have posted unbeaten CC seasons. And as good as any may have been, none have rivaled this year’s team, which has strung together a school-record 23 straight wins, put together a school-record 29 wins overall, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships’ Final Four for the first time in 27 years.
And Small, as always, deflects the credit to his players.
“We’ve just been fortunate to have remarkable kids,” Small said. “We prioritize. We recruit kids of good character because we want kids of good character. We want kids who’ll put their basketball family first, kids who want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”
Those early Ursinus recruits bought into Small’s approach.
Those who followed have been an easy sell, too.
“When we first started here we thought we were looking at a five-year rebuilding project,” Small recalled. “But in our third year (2002-03), we went undefeated in the Centennial Conference. That was fun … a great year. But it caught us off-guard, to be honest.
“That’s when we realized we were fortunate to be getting the kids we were getting here. They all worked incredibly hard. They were selfless. They wanted something.”
So did Small. And he’s gotten it.
“We’re committed to what’s in front of us, to improving every day,” he said. “We’re not about winning, winning, winning.
“If you come here, we want you to be a great student, an engaged student, not someone merely going through the motions. And as a basketball player, we want you to be committed to execution, committed to getting better. If everyone does that, winning takes care of itself.”
Few can criticize Small’s approach.
Even though he’s already the winningest coach in the 92-year history of the Ursinus men’s basketball program (145-72), Small again likes to emphasize the achievements of those who play the game – like the 21 who have been named All-Centennial Conference; the six who have been named the CC’s Player of the Year; the four who have been named All-Americans; and the two Josten’s Trophy finalists (Division III Player of the Year). And he’s even more proud of the many players who have been selected to the conference’s Academic Honor Roll.
Small is a class act himself while courtside. Three times he has been presented regional sportsmanship awards, and two years ago was presented the College Basketball Officials Association’s National Sportsmanship Award.
“But I do this because I have a passion for basketball and I get the opportunity to work with kids,” Small said. “I am not employed to go to the Final Four … I am here to work with and mentor kids every day, to inspire them to become better people. That’s what is important.”