Rhythmic rebounds
of Nasha Prescott

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

Nasha Prescott always had the moves.
As a child, she was a natural on the dance floor, excelling at tap, jazz and ballet.
She later traded her ballet slippers for basketball sneakers and took her rhythm to Cardinal Dougherty High School’s court, where she has led the Cardinals to post-season play for the past three years.
"I think dancing definitely helped me have quick feet in basketball," said Prescott, who plays center for the Cardinals. "I miss dancing a lot. But I love basketball much more because the competition is so intense."
The dancing queen-turned-athlete picked up a basketball for the first time as a freshman. Initially, she never had much interest in the sport, but she was instantly intrigued when she was approached in the school hallway and urged to try out.
"Someone walked up to me and said, ‘Hey you, come to open gym tomorrow,’" recalled Prescott. "I told them that I don’t play basketball, but they said to come anyway. I really liked how they wanted to include me, and it was a challenge to me, so I went."
The rest is history.
In fact, Prescott made the varsity squad as a freshman. She didn’t see a lot of playing time that first year, but when she did, Prescott delivered flashes of her potential.
"I remember they let me in a game for about a minute and I scored my first two varsity points off foul shots," she recalled. "Everyone was cheering. It was such a great moment, and probably my favorite memory with the team."
Over the next three years, Prescott has expanded her skills both on and off the court. In addition to improving her personal game, Prescott has evolved into a role model for her squad, and she’s now team captain.
"She has a great communication with the younger players," said coach Mary McDonald, who is in her 10th year leading the Cardinals’ squad.
"I knew nothing about basketball when I got here," added Prescott. "But my coaches and team pushed me so hard that I had to get better. It’s great now because the younger players can come to me and I can say I’ve been there."
Her participation in this final season will have to wait a few games — Prescott’s mending a broken ankle, an injury that occurred in September during a pickup game at school.
"It gives me so much more motivation," said Prescott. "I’m still at every practice — I’m taking time or helping the girls. I never go home. I’m the first player to walk in and the last player to leave."
Her knowledge of the sport and talent recently landed Prescott an opportunity of a lifetime — a full scholarship to a Division I college.
"I didn’t expect it right away," said Prescott, who will attend St. Francis University in Altoona, Pa., next year. "It’s really exciting. My family is ecstatic."
She plans to study psychology at St. Francis.
"I want to figure out what makes people think the way they do," said Prescott, who has a 3.9 grade-point average at Cardinal Dougherty. "Why do people do certain things? Why does their mind work that way?"
Before she relocates five hours north, though, the Northeast Philadelphia resident has some unfinished business.
The Cardinals’ season tipped off last weekend at the Gator Classic. Cardinal Dougherty defeated Notre Dame Prep, a squad from Baltimore, 41-30, on Saturday, but then lost to Georgetown Visitation, 62-38, on Sunday.
"The team looked so dominant this weekend," said Prescott. "It should be a successful year."
With her ankle on the mend, Prescott expects to join her teammates in about two weeks. She has some high hopes for her final season.
"I want us to never give up, and always do the best we can," said Prescott. "We’re going to be stronger as a team this year. It’s going to be a great season." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com