Cols guard shines in first season

Having a true freshman starting point guard is not ideal in any level of college basketball.

But Nicholls State freshman Shane Rillieux is making the best of a difficult situation.

Thrust into the near-impossible spot of leading the Colonels during his first year, Rillieux has shined, earning the respect of both his coaches and teammates with the moxie and maturity he’s shown since his first day on campus this past August.

“He can hold his head to anybody,” Colonels freshman forward Sam McBeath said. “By the time he’s a junior, he’s going to be unbelievable, because he’s pretty special now. He makes great decisions, he’s pretty confident. He’s just a really good point guard to have on the floor.”

“He’s a tough-minded kid,” Nicholls coach J.P. Piper said. “He’s used to winning. He loves to compete. He’s just a gamer. I can assure you I didn’t lose a whole lot of sleep having to put him out there so early.”

Rillieux’s success at the college level may have come a year or two earlier than some expected.

Look into the standout’s past and it’s easy to see he’s always had a future in the game of basketball.

Rillieux said he picked up the sport when he was 3, learning to play on a toy hoop he received from his mother, Angel Rillieux.

“That was my favorite toy,” Rillieux said. “I used to be on it all day and night. That’s where it all started.”

From his beginnings as a toddler, the New Orleans native got into organized ball at the age of 6. From there, he modeled his every step after one man n his basketball hero n Allen Iverson.

“I really like him because he had this cool, collected thing about him,” Rillieux said. “He never really unfolded during pressure. He always handled it well. He was just an amazing player all around.”

With a few years seasoning, the young guard did his best to follow his idol’s footsteps.

As a 9-year-old child playing for a New Orleans youth basketball team, Rillieux’s squad advanced to nationals in Wichita, KS.

While there, bright lights didn’t deter the youngster who took home All-American honors.

“That was really sort of the day that I realized just how good I could be,” Rillieux said. “And just how far this sport could possibly take me.”

From youth ball, the sport took Rillieux to Brother Martin High School.

It was there the player picked up a new hobby n point guard.

In the early levels of basketball, Rillieux said he was an off-guard.

“I realized I wasn’t tall enough to be a two-guard,” the 6-foot, 2-inch freshman says with a laugh. “So I moved down a position and became a point guard.”

With his new position on lock, the New Orleans native continued to excel, taking the Crusaders to the upper echelon of prep basketball.

During his time in high school, Rillieux was a three-time All-District selection, while helping lead the Crusaders to a state championship during his junior year and a state semifinal berth in his senior year.

From high school success, the guard said he had a slew of offers, including UL-Lafayette, Tulane and Southeastern.

He landed at Nicholls because of the support he said he received from Piper.

“They were really into me,” Rillieux said. “Those other schools, I just didn’t feel like they were as onto me as Nicholls was. I could tell I was truly wanted here.”

“There’s no question he was someone we really wanted,” Piper said. “We targeted him the summer before his senior year and we worked him for a solid year. We went and watched him play a bunch and we really worked hard to get him here.

“We just told him that he was the future. He was the guy who would bring us to a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.”

When Piper references the future, no one expected the 2011-12 season to be as heavily a part of the plan.

Piper said he hoped to play Rillieux 15-20 minutes per game as a freshman behind junior guard Pedro Maciel, who was expected to be the team’s starter.

“That was just fine with me,” Rillieux said. “I was content coming off the bench and contributing any way I could being this is just my first year.”

But Maciel went down with a preseason injury, which pushed the team to plan B n having senior Ben Martin take the ball up the floor more often to fill the void.

Those plans also crashed and burned when Martin was sidelined with back spasms, which thrust the true freshman into full-time duty n something that was a source of nervous energy within the team’s locker room.

“When he first started in the scrimmages, I could see he was talented, but I didn’t know how it would work having to rely on him for 40 minutes a game,” McBeath said.

McBeath would be the first to admit his suspicions were wrong n things have been working pretty well.

Rillieux is a stabilizing force to the team’s offense, averaging 7 points, 4 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game.

The most important statistic? Turnovers. Rillieux averages fewer than 3 per game n not bad for a freshman.

“For a young kid, he really takes care of the basketball pretty well,” Piper said. “He makes good decisions for our offense.”

With Rillieux posting a solid freshman season, human nature is to wonder just how bright the future might be.

But Rillieux said his only focus right now is turning Nicholls’ season around.

The Colonels have just one win in Southland Conference play and are a long shot to reach the Southland Tournament.

“I’m just worried about the here and now,” Rillieux said. We have a lot of winnable ballgames left to right this ship.”

The future?

That’s for his teammates and coaches to speculate.

It sure appears to be bright.

“He’s just class,” McBeath said. “I love him with the ball in his hands. I love him as my point guard. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. He’s a special player and a great leader.

“He’s the guy that we want with the basketball. And he’s also the game who wants the ball too. That’s a great character trait to have.”

Nicholls State freshman point guard Shane Rillieux tosses a pass during a game this season. Starting as only a true freshman, the Nicholls guard has been a steady player for the Colonels in 2011-12. MISTY MCELROY

Misty Leigh McElroy