Indiana University Athletics
Zeisloft Returns to Sign Alumni Wall, Looks Ahead to More Opportunities
10/4/2018 9:17:00 AM | Indiana MBB
Even now, three-plus years after his final college basketball game, with his signature etched on Indiana's new Basketball Alumni Wall, Nick Zeisloft can't believe it.
"It's spectacular," he says.
Zeisloft will be remembered as a Hoosier, as a Big Ten basketball champ, as a three-point game changer who beat the odds.
In some ways, the former Indiana guard, still is.
"I never thought it would happen," he says about his Cream 'n Crimson career. "With a year left in high school, I never thought I'd play college ball."
For good reason. The 6-4 Zeisloft was a good, but not great high school basketball player in LaGrange, Ill. As a junior he averaged 11 points. He seemed destined for, well, a business degree.
Instead, he's worked his way into a professional basketball player -- including stops in Lithuania, Italy and Spain -- who already has earned more than half a million dollars, with more ahead.
It was an opportunity jump-started when he decided to transfer from Illinois State to Indiana for his final two seasons. It was the school where his father, Mark, attended in the early 1980s as a student basking in the glory of the Hoosiers' 1981 national championship.
"I don't know if I was on Cloud 9 as much as my dad was when I came to Indiana," Zeisloft says. "It was quite the experience and moment for my family and I. I'll never forget it."
It's hard to forget a run that included the 2016 Big Ten championship, a NCAA tourney second-round win over Kentucky and games in which he made as many as five three-pointers and scored as many as 19 points.
"I have my Big Ten championship ring in my room at home. I have my senior night jersey. Those things will always remind me of how good it was at IU. How big it was to win that game at Iowa and win the Big Ten championship.
"There are so many moments that will always be close to my heart from my time at IU."
That includes a recent return to Indiana to, among other things, sign the Basketball Alumni Wall that has been installed as part of the renovated basketball locker room area. Zeisloft joined Victor Oladipo, Calbert Cheaney and Brian Evans as the first to sign the wall, a way to keep former and current players connected to the tradition-rich program.
"Just to say you're an alumni of Indiana is an honor," Zeisloft says, "but to say you're one of the alumni who played basketball there is a very special thing for me given the fact I was able to play there and win a Big Ten championship and then sign that board with all the other greats who are going to sign it. It's special to have your name there."
Zeisloft played two years at IU after a two-year stay at Eastern Illinois in which he demonstrated strong three-point shooting skills.
That showed up big time in his first Hoosier season, when he led the Big Ten in three-point shooting at 51.4 percent.
He averaged 6.6 and 6.5 points at IU, and helped the Hoosiers win the 2016 conference title with teammates Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon, Troy Williams and Thomas Bryant.
Zeisloft says he tries to stay in contact with former Indiana coach Tom Crean and such former assistant coaches as Rob Judson and Steve McClain.
As far as current Hoosier coach Archie Miller, Zeisloft says he's met him a couple of times.
"I've heard great things about him from the players."
After leaving IU with a master's degree in finance, Zeisloft was invited to the Indiana Pacers training camp in 2016. He played in one preseason game before joining their G-League affiliate in Fort Wayne. He averaged 7.4 points and 14 minutes for the Mad Ants in his one season.
Then it was off to the Lithuanian Basketball League, where he averaged 12.1 points and 24.7 minutes. That included a 41-point game in which he was 12-for-15 from three-point range.
To put that in perspective, the NBA record for most three-pointers in a game is 13 by Seth Curry.
"There were a lot of ups and downs there," Zeisloft says, "but in the end I loved it.
"One of the main reasons why felt comfortable there was how much they love their basketball. It's like the state of Indiana loving basketball, times something. It sounds crazy to say that, but it's like one of their religions. It's all basketball. We won a lot of games there."
Last season Zeisloft played in Italy and Spain,
"Italy was a spectacular country with the culture and the food. I loved it. There were some fun and animated fans there for sure.
"Spain was the best country I played in. I was in the top Spanish league with amazing arenas. It was heck of a competition each night playing against the likes of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia."
Zeisloft says he learned to speak some Spanish and Italian, Lithuanian not so much.
"It's a hard language to learn. There's not a lot of correlation with English."
Zeisloft hopes to sign with another team soon.
"I'm working to make sure I'm ready to go. I'm waiting for the right opportunity in the right league, anywhere in the world. I'm open for it all. Whatever opportunity will take me to the highest level.
"You never when you're number will be called, so you always have to be ready."
How long will he continue playing?
"That's a tough question. I have a lot more to give to the game – whether that's physically or mentally. There's something different about playing and being in control of the game and making shots. I still have a very high passion of wanting to be out there winning games.
"I want to play as long as possible. Try to get to that ultimate goal of playing in the NBA or the top league in Europe.
"I want to keep moving up and I think I've done that in Europe. You never know when you'll catch the right opportunity and sign with the right team at the right time."
Zeisloft hopes that will include more championships.
"That's the goal. That's why I play every year and work the way I do. I've never been one to go for individual stats or glory. It's always about winning.
"You get so upset about losing. I still have losses that stick really hard. To win that championship, that's what it's all about."
After basketball is over, could college coaching follow?
"That's one thing I think I'd be good at," Zeisloft says. "I've been on so many different kinds of teams, from Illinois State to Indiana to the NBA to the G-League to all these different cultures in Europe. The team dynamic is awesome to be around, that's something that will always call to me."
While potentially lucrative, college coaching is not without risk and demand.
"There's a side of me that asks, 'Do you really want to keep bouncing around all the time?' That's what basketball coaching entails. Your lifestyle is going recruiting to this place, going to away games, coaching this. You're always on the move. And there's a lot of turnover in college coaching.
"I could always use my finance degree and the Masters of Finance I got from the Kelley School of Business as well. There's uncertainty in everything in life, but that would have more stability.
"Those things have caught my attention. It will be interesting to see what trajectory I go on."
"It's spectacular," he says.
Zeisloft will be remembered as a Hoosier, as a Big Ten basketball champ, as a three-point game changer who beat the odds.
In some ways, the former Indiana guard, still is.
"I never thought it would happen," he says about his Cream 'n Crimson career. "With a year left in high school, I never thought I'd play college ball."
For good reason. The 6-4 Zeisloft was a good, but not great high school basketball player in LaGrange, Ill. As a junior he averaged 11 points. He seemed destined for, well, a business degree.
Instead, he's worked his way into a professional basketball player -- including stops in Lithuania, Italy and Spain -- who already has earned more than half a million dollars, with more ahead.
It was an opportunity jump-started when he decided to transfer from Illinois State to Indiana for his final two seasons. It was the school where his father, Mark, attended in the early 1980s as a student basking in the glory of the Hoosiers' 1981 national championship.
"I don't know if I was on Cloud 9 as much as my dad was when I came to Indiana," Zeisloft says. "It was quite the experience and moment for my family and I. I'll never forget it."
It's hard to forget a run that included the 2016 Big Ten championship, a NCAA tourney second-round win over Kentucky and games in which he made as many as five three-pointers and scored as many as 19 points.
"I have my Big Ten championship ring in my room at home. I have my senior night jersey. Those things will always remind me of how good it was at IU. How big it was to win that game at Iowa and win the Big Ten championship.
"There are so many moments that will always be close to my heart from my time at IU."
That includes a recent return to Indiana to, among other things, sign the Basketball Alumni Wall that has been installed as part of the renovated basketball locker room area. Zeisloft joined Victor Oladipo, Calbert Cheaney and Brian Evans as the first to sign the wall, a way to keep former and current players connected to the tradition-rich program.
"Just to say you're an alumni of Indiana is an honor," Zeisloft says, "but to say you're one of the alumni who played basketball there is a very special thing for me given the fact I was able to play there and win a Big Ten championship and then sign that board with all the other greats who are going to sign it. It's special to have your name there."
Zeisloft played two years at IU after a two-year stay at Eastern Illinois in which he demonstrated strong three-point shooting skills.
That showed up big time in his first Hoosier season, when he led the Big Ten in three-point shooting at 51.4 percent.
He averaged 6.6 and 6.5 points at IU, and helped the Hoosiers win the 2016 conference title with teammates Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon, Troy Williams and Thomas Bryant.
Zeisloft says he tries to stay in contact with former Indiana coach Tom Crean and such former assistant coaches as Rob Judson and Steve McClain.
As far as current Hoosier coach Archie Miller, Zeisloft says he's met him a couple of times.
"I've heard great things about him from the players."
After leaving IU with a master's degree in finance, Zeisloft was invited to the Indiana Pacers training camp in 2016. He played in one preseason game before joining their G-League affiliate in Fort Wayne. He averaged 7.4 points and 14 minutes for the Mad Ants in his one season.
Then it was off to the Lithuanian Basketball League, where he averaged 12.1 points and 24.7 minutes. That included a 41-point game in which he was 12-for-15 from three-point range.
To put that in perspective, the NBA record for most three-pointers in a game is 13 by Seth Curry.
"There were a lot of ups and downs there," Zeisloft says, "but in the end I loved it.
"One of the main reasons why felt comfortable there was how much they love their basketball. It's like the state of Indiana loving basketball, times something. It sounds crazy to say that, but it's like one of their religions. It's all basketball. We won a lot of games there."
Last season Zeisloft played in Italy and Spain,
"Italy was a spectacular country with the culture and the food. I loved it. There were some fun and animated fans there for sure.
"Spain was the best country I played in. I was in the top Spanish league with amazing arenas. It was heck of a competition each night playing against the likes of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia."
Zeisloft says he learned to speak some Spanish and Italian, Lithuanian not so much.
"It's a hard language to learn. There's not a lot of correlation with English."
Zeisloft hopes to sign with another team soon.
"I'm working to make sure I'm ready to go. I'm waiting for the right opportunity in the right league, anywhere in the world. I'm open for it all. Whatever opportunity will take me to the highest level.
"You never when you're number will be called, so you always have to be ready."
How long will he continue playing?
"That's a tough question. I have a lot more to give to the game – whether that's physically or mentally. There's something different about playing and being in control of the game and making shots. I still have a very high passion of wanting to be out there winning games.
"I want to play as long as possible. Try to get to that ultimate goal of playing in the NBA or the top league in Europe.
"I want to keep moving up and I think I've done that in Europe. You never know when you'll catch the right opportunity and sign with the right team at the right time."
Zeisloft hopes that will include more championships.
"That's the goal. That's why I play every year and work the way I do. I've never been one to go for individual stats or glory. It's always about winning.
"You get so upset about losing. I still have losses that stick really hard. To win that championship, that's what it's all about."
After basketball is over, could college coaching follow?
"That's one thing I think I'd be good at," Zeisloft says. "I've been on so many different kinds of teams, from Illinois State to Indiana to the NBA to the G-League to all these different cultures in Europe. The team dynamic is awesome to be around, that's something that will always call to me."
While potentially lucrative, college coaching is not without risk and demand.
"There's a side of me that asks, 'Do you really want to keep bouncing around all the time?' That's what basketball coaching entails. Your lifestyle is going recruiting to this place, going to away games, coaching this. You're always on the move. And there's a lot of turnover in college coaching.
"I could always use my finance degree and the Masters of Finance I got from the Kelley School of Business as well. There's uncertainty in everything in life, but that would have more stability.
"Those things have caught my attention. It will be interesting to see what trajectory I go on."
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