Nick Van Exel had an eventful collegiate basketball career in the early 1990s. He enjoyed the tough competition back then, something he thinks is lacking in today’s game.
The one-time NBA All-Star split his four years in college, playing at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, for the first two years and at the University of Cincinnati for the last two. While with the Bearcats, he reached the NCAA Final Four in his junior year, capping off his college career with an Elite Eight appearance.
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Nick the Quick looked back to his college days in his appearance on the “Haymaker Podcast,” breaking down why he thinks the game today is not as good as it was then.
“It’s definitely different. I think it was a lot more competition [then], right? More physical. And it was more of a pride thing. Now, I don’t think it’s so much pride. I think it’s more of what can I get out of it, you know, and that’s not a bad thing. Guys are now in a situation with the NIL and hey, if you got a chance to, you know, make some money for your family, hey, I’m all for it,” Van Exel said.
He then moved to highlight the great rivalries that prevailed at the time, capturing the nation’s interest and making almost all the games must-see events.
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“But back then, I just think it was more of a pride, like the Georgetown-Pitt rivalry, Georgetown-Syracuse, Georgetown-Villanova. Like, it’s so many teams that there were real rivalries, and you wanted to see that Big East Monday. Like, you weren’t missing Big East Monday. You know what I’m saying? And now you don’t get the rivalries like you did back then. You got North Carolina, Duke, but it’s only really big in that area,” he pointed out.
Springboard to the NBA
After a solid run at Cincinnati, where he finished with career averages of 15.2 points, 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 65 games, Van Exel used it as a springboard to the NBA. He was selected in the second round of the 1993 NBA Draft, 37th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
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With the Purple and Gold, the Wisconsin native steadily impressed, earning All-Rookie Team selection in 1994 and then, in 1998, was named to the All-Star Game, joining teammates Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Eddie Jones.
In June 1998, after five years with the Lakers, where he averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 assists, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets.
“It was a lot of fun, man. It was a lot of fun. Not going to lie, being a kid from Kenosha, Wisconsin, getting a chance to go out to Hollywood, it was different … [But] it was time to go,” he said of his departure from Los Angeles.
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In the Mile High City, he experienced his best years, statistically, compiling 17.7 points and 8.4 rebounds in his four years. Van Exel was then shipped out in 2002 to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played for two seasons. He also saw action for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs in each of his last three seasons in the NBA.
Related: Jason Whitlock called Stephen A. Smith a pathological liar because of his college career
Turning to coaching
In 2009, three years after retiring from the NBA, he was hired as an assistant by Texas Southern University. After that, he also had assistant coaching stints in the NBA D-League, with the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Atlanta Hawks.
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Through his coaching, Van ensured that he imparted the lessons he learned while playing, both in college and in the pros, to help young players play the right way, doing so with a sense of pride and purpose.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.