All good things take time — and Northeastern basketball’s Nate Francois is a testament to that. The senior guard walked on to Northeastern’s Division I men’s basketball team prior to this season’s start in November after functioning as the team manager and playing for the men’s club team — proof that hard work does pay off. 

When Francois started to play basketball in the summer between grades eight and nine, later than many collegiate athletes, he instantly fell in love with the competitiveness of the game. He later realized he wanted to play in college and hoped to seize any opportunity when he arrived at Northeastern. 

With no prospect of making Northeastern’s NCAA team upon arrival due to Covid-19, Francois, a business administration major, joined the club team his second year of college. 

Being a club athlete has many challenges, including late practice hours and less funding, but it was easy for Francois to keep basketball a priority.

“Basketball is just something I love to do. It was easy to keep at the forefront of my mind,” Francois said. “Being a competitor, compete, play every day, even if you don’t have practice.”

Ranking top three in the National Club Basketball Association, or NCBBA, the Huskies finished last season 37-2, along with winning the 2023 New England Regional championships. Throughout the team’s 28 win streak and 17-week run at No. 1 in the NCBAA — both NCBBA records —  Francois stepped up as a leader and coach when needed. 

Coach Knox Lendall, Northeastern’s club basketball coach, defined Francois as a “player-coach,” stepping into this role when Lendall was unable to attend the games. 

“I was a college coach last year, so whenever I wasn’t able to make it, he had a bigger role, calling plays and making subs,” Lendall said. “[In 2022] we lost at the championship [of the Penn State tournament], so the team really wanted to go back. I drove down there Saturday, but Sunday, in the elimination games, they were on their own. So Nate kind of took over. … He was right under the basket, coaching the game.”

The team won the tournament last November, going 6-0 that weekend, an indication of Francois’ deep understanding of basketball. While handling the responsibilities of being a team leader, Francois also didn’t let his play slack. 

Daniel Dalzell, a fifth-year shooting guard for the club team, highlighted this sentiment.

“Nate is one of the most dominant offensive players I’ve played with. He gets the shots he wants, when he wants. His ability to take over a game — seemingly single handedly sometimes — is unlike a lot of other players that I’ve seen,” Dalzell said. “Nate not only carried a lot of the load on offense but displayed leadership in the locker room, before games, during games and practice. He pushed everyone to be the best version of themselves as players. He led vocally and by example.” 

Francois continued to train for a chance to play at the Division 1 level while he was on the club team, even becoming team manager for a year in the process. 

Coach Lendall said Francois was always at film sessions, constantly asking  for the club team’s game footage to watch and analyze his play on his own. He also spent time after practice to work with the “bigs,” the athletes who play center. 

Francois was even featured on influencer Derrick Almond’s social media, otherwise known as “deeayy.sports.” In Almond’s video reel, he dubbed Francois, “best offensive talent in NCBBA.”

Over this summer, Francois kept his training a priority even while working 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for his summer internship. 

“I would wake up at 5 a.m. to work out in the morning,” Francois said. “Then after work, I would sneak into a local college gym … to get working at night. I was in the best shape [of] my life, and [I was] making sure I was at the best peak of my game when I came back.”

Bill Coen, Northeastern’s men’s basketball coach, said Francois had been on his radar since before Francois attended Northeastern, but truly made an impression when he became the team’s manager. 

“[Team managers] add so much to the program. … They’re high character guys, and they’re very humble because they have to do tasks that nobody else wants to do,” Coen said. “To see a young man like Nate accept that position and excel in that position always left a really good impression on me.”

Other terrific walk-ons paved the way for players like Francois, including Caleb Donnelly, who, like Francois, started out playing for the club team. Donnelly ended up earning a scholarship and scoring 13 points in the CAA championship in 2015. 

Last season, the D1 team went 12-20, with a 7-11 conference record. The team attended the Townebank Holiday Classic where they went 2-1. In the CAA playoffs, Northeastern lost the first round to Stony Brook University, 65-75 on March 9. 

The team has put last season behind them as they work to secure a better record and playoff run.

“Coen told us pretty much [the sophomores] all came back for a reason, so he [is] going to push us. So practicing [has] been harder, conditioning has been hard, everything has been harder,” Harold Woods, a junior guard and forward, said. “And then we got a couple transfers that come in, looking to make an impact, [and] Nate coming in, bringing the winning environment.” 

As the team looks ahead to the season, hoping to improve its record, Francois has a lot to prove. 

“At the end of the day, the players determine who plays, not the coaches. [We] encourage him to go for it on a daily basis, don’t apologize for your status, and be competitive,” Coen said. “And then let the chips fall where they may.”

Humility. Perseverance. Respect.

From a student manager to a club athlete, and now an official member of the 2024-25 Northeastern Men’s Basketball team.

Welcome to the Huskies, Nate Francois! pic.twitter.com/vmQKkvQf0s

— Northeastern Men’s Basketball (@GoNUmbasketball) September 10, 2024

Francois plans on maintaining his infectious energy, no matter what position he has this season.  

“The biggest thing is energy. I think somebody could use just having a leader on and off the court, so whatever my role is this year, whether that’s being at the end of the benches or being in the game and being a contributor,” Francois said. “[The] biggest thing about basketball [is] you need everybody one through 15 to be locked in on the same page.”