Submitted photos – Nick Maher with some of his McKinleyville teammates at this week’s letter signing ceremony.

By Ray Hamill — Senior Nick Maher became the latest McKinleyville Panther to commit his future to a college program this week.

The multi-sport standout will play basketball for Hartnell College, following in the footsteps of a long list of McKinleyville High student-athletes who have committed to college teams in what has been a busy and successful spring for the local high school’s athletes.

Maher is coming off a very successful senior year in sports.

In the fall he played a key role on the McKinleyville boys soccer team, which went further in the North Coast Section playoffs than ever before, and he followed that by helping to lead the McKinleville boys basketball team to a second Dick Niclai tournament championship in three seasons.

He continued to excel in track and field this spring, winning an H-DNL championship in the discus and placing fifth in the shot put.

But when it came to his college choice, basketball was closest to his heart.

“I would say basketball has always been my favorite,” he said. “It’s the most natural for me.”

Maher grew up attending Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods games with his family and could often be seen playing pick-up games with friends outside the family home.

“I feel like it’s always been present in my life,” he said of basketball.

Choosing a college, however, didn’t come quite so easily for the standout senior, who had plenty of options.

McKinleyville head coach Chris Davis first put Hartnell coach Andrew Vasher in touch with Maher, and when he visited the campus earlier this year the two immediately hit it off.

“I went down and visited and I liked the campus,” Maher said. “And I really liked the coach. We had a good connection.”

The decision, however, wasn’t an easy one and Maher says he was “really, really looking into two other” options, before he committed this future to Hartnell.

Davis believes the Panther standout has what it takes to succeed at the college level.

“The coaching staff is elated that Nick has made the decision to play for Hartnell,” the Panthers coach said. “What Nick brings to the table each and every day, whether practice or game, is crucial for a program at the next level.

“Nick brings a  natural competitive nature every moment on the court, whether a strong work ethic or a desire to continuously improve.

“As a former collegiate coach, we would consistently look for players with these qualities because we knew we could build a strong culture around them.”

As for what Maher will remember the most from his time at McKinleyville, like many other local student-athletes it’s not necessarily the success he enjoyed while competing.

“I definitely have to say my teammates,” Maher said. “That’s who I spent most time with, and the long van rides mainly is what I’ll remember.”

He also says he will cherish getting the opportunity to play alongside his older brother Logan as a freshman.

“I don’t think I can narrow it down,” he answered when asked who have been the biggest influences on his career. “Definitely my coaches, and my brother. Being able to play on the same soccer team as him as a freshman was fun.”

Maher says he wants to major in the medical field and is “striving to be a metabolic specialist.”

He follows in the footsteps of several other McKinleyville Panthers who have committed to play at the college level this year, including Rylee Collart (soccer at Lake Tahoe Community College), Joe Gatlin (football at Mount Mercy University in Iowa), Jackson Kelly (baseball at Shoreline Community College in Washington), Steven Graves and Jackson Najarian (football at College of the Redwoods), Tatum Fisher (basketball at George Fox University), Jake Gardner (golf at Simpson University) and Gabby Watson (basketball at Clark University in Massachusetts).

Maher closed out his high school career with a strong showing in track and field this month, setting PRs in both the discus (141’ 4”) and the shot put (40’ 6.5”) at the league championships, before placing ninth in the discus at the NCS Redwood Empire championships a week later.

“Hartnell is getting a great young man in Nick, and we’re all looking forward to following his journey,” Davis said.