Nankivil has sights set on pro teams overseas

MILWAUKEE -- Keaton Nankivil is hoping that his play over the past four seasons at Wisconsin will help create offers from professional teams overseas in the coming months. The former Badger started all 67 games between his junior and senior seasons for coach Bo Ryan and is currently playing in the Milwaukee Pro-Am league. As his agent takes care of the business end of his career, Nankivil has dedicated himself to being in the gym full-time this summer. "At this point in my career, (basketball) has to be the priority," Nankivil said. "This is that 'now or never' moment. In college, you never want to say it was a sure thing, but you're anticipating four years of playing, and that four years is up. Now it's out in the real world. It's a schedule where I build my day around basketball. I've done a lot of relying on my friends and teammates from high school to work out, be that gym partner that can push you. I just try and stay busy on the court and do stuff to improve every day." One of those gym partners is former high school teammate, Wesley Matthews. Nankivil was two grades below Matthews at Madison Memorial, but the two have stayed in contact and are on the same Pro-Am team, as well. Nankivil, a 6-foot-8 power forward with 3-point range, has been scheduling himself three-hour sessions that are mixed between lifting weights, conditioning, shooting drills and playing competitive games. "It's a full day," he said. "It's like somebody at a different job. You have to put the time in. At the end of the day, it's going to be a job. That's what I'm trying to make it. So I have no problem putting the hours in up front and getting something out of it." With help from his agent, Nankivil is beginning to understand the process for how international professional teams handle their rosters. "It's a whole different process over there," Nankivil said. "It's hard to even make a comparison in the way you'd think of it in America like an offer and that stuff. The way it sounds to me is they kind of go through their veterans first, pick those guys up, pick up veteran Americans. This year with the lockout it's going to be a big deal, too. "Then the last tier is going to be American rookies, and that's the boat I'm in. So the game plan is to get something solidified, hopefully, and take it from there and let my game do the talking." If things go well overseas, Nankivil is hoping to make it in the NBA one day. "The ultimate goal is to get in the best league, and the best league in the world is the NBA," he said. "You could ask any basketball player, that's going to be their goal. Whether everything comes together or not is the meantime. Next year is going to be getting my feet on the ground in that international kind of game. Hopefully get a reputation of a reliable, good player and build off that." Nankivil said he's talked a few times recently with former Badgers teammate, Jon Leuer. Leuer was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. "It's a great situation for him," Nankivil said of Leuer. "I'm sure he's frustrated with the lockout, because as an incoming rookie, I know him, he'd want to spend as much time at that facility as possible and doesn't get that opportunity." Through his latest workouts with Matthews, Nankivil is doing his part to help the Portland Trail Blazers star recover from a torn tendon in his ankle. "You know his personality is going to be gung-ho right away, but I think as friends and teammates, we're going to work him in smart," Nankivil said of Matthews. "He's going to push the envelope, and I think it's partially our job to push back and let him kind of get back in shape, too." Nankivil added that even though Matthews is from Madison, with the success he's had in the NBA, it's hard to hold the decision of going to college at Marquette instead of Wisconsin against him. "Wes represents Madison as much as anybody," Nankivil said. "He's got that kind of pride where he can represent Madison as a city and Marquette as a university and carry it all on his shoulders."