Heather Nisbet: 3-sport exception

As more and more high school athletes are specializing in one sport or maybe two at the most, Buffalo Grove's Heather Nisbet stands out as one of those rare three-sport competitors.

And you'd probably be hard-pressed to find anyone who excelled any better in a trio of sports this past school year.

Nisbet won a state badminton doubles title and placed among the top 20 in the state doubles in tennis with her twin sister Ashton and was an all-area basketball player for rookie BG coach Pat Dudle.

And the best part? All of her coaches get the 5-foot-6 junior back for one more season.

When she returns, she will have the title of the 2008-09 Daily Herald Female Athlete of the Year in Cook County.

Not only has Nisbet had a terrific junior year, her first two were quite impressive as well.

She was a starting guard on two basketball teams that played in the Elite Eight in Normal under former Bison coach Tom Dineen.

"To sit back and realize what Heather has accomplished in three years is truly remarkable," said Dineen, a Hall of Famer who is taking over the Stevenson girls basketball program this winter. "What a great honor for a great kid. Pound for pound, she is as tough a competitor as there is."

Dineen also emphasized the intangibles Nisbet brings to her teams.

"As good an athlete that Heather is, she is an even better person," he said. "She is very quiet, humble, team-oriented and a good friend.

"Heather is very quick to deflect compliments to her teammates. She has such a positive outlook on everything, never a bad word to say about any situation. She's just a great role model for all student-athletes."

Nisbet joined four different starters this past winter in basketball. She was the team's second-leading scorer (10 ppg) while hitting 66 3-pointers and shooting 76 percent from the free throw line.

"The past season was a difficult one with losing coach Dineen (retirement), but I got to know and play with a lot of great girls so that definitely made it a little more fun," Nisbet said. "After basketball ended, I couldn't wait to pick up a badminton racket and get back to where I left off last season."

Picking up a badminton racket in the spring after swinging a tennis racket all fall isn't exactly the easiest transition.

"The toughest part for sure with participating in tennis, basketball and badminton is switching back and forth with tennis and badminton," Nisbet said. "They're two completely different sports no matter how similar they may seem. The way you move around the court is different, the racket size is different, the object you hit over the net and the speed of it is different. It gets really hard to adjust at times, but I would never stop playing one or the other for that reason."

After placing second in the state badminton tourney as sophomores, Nisbet said she and her sister knew they would have to be at their best this spring.

"We had a target on our backs the entire year which was a ton of pressure, but at the same time I think it helped Ashton and me step up our game and play as hard as we could every time we got on the court," Heather said. "Getting to go downstate again was awesome and winning the whole thing was even better. Words can't describe how excited I was that day."

Dudle had no problem coming up with words to describe Heather's abilities.

"Heather is a great competitor; she does all the little things well to make her a winner on the court," Dudle said. "In her case, it's the basketball, badminton and tennis courts. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for her senior year."

Nisbet can't believe how quickly the first three years have gone.

"It's really hard to believe that I've already completed nine seasons of varsity sports but I really must say that this has been one of my favorite years for many reasons," she said. "During the tennis season, Ashton and I had a rough start and had some tough competition to face but I think that the tough teams that we played prepared us very well for the state tournament."

Heather and Ashton met their goal of advancing farther than the previous year as they placed among the top 16-to-24 players.

"It was a great accomplishment for us considering we only play tennis a few months a year," Heather said. "I think the most exciting thing for me this year besides winning state in badminton was making the Daily Herald All-Area (basketball) team.

"I watched Rachel Buchek, the Mocchis (Maggie and Allison), and Ellen Ayoub all receive similar honors and it was great to finally earn one myself."

Nisbet said she loves the nonstop sports schedule she has held in high school.

"It's hard going from season to season with these sports but it keeps me busy and that's what I love about it," she said. "I definitely think the state championship in badminton was the highlight of my junior year.

"It was a great way to end successful seasons in tennis and basketball and my third year in high school. I can't wait to see what next year brings."

Neither can her coaches.

"It's neat to see an athlete not have to specialize to accomplish all that she has in three sports," Dineen said.

"More athletes seem to be specializing but I feel playing different sports aids development in all areas," Dudle added. "Heather's concentration on a serve in tennis will facilitate taking a big shot on the basketball court. The footwork in all three sports is parallel.

"Also, reading the game and an opponent and taking advantage of an opening in each of the three sports is very similar. Being a three-sport athlete has helped Heather's game tremendously on the basketball court."

Bison tennis coach Kevin Schrammel said Nisbet was able to draw a "killer instinct" in tennis from playing basketball.

"And that's tough to teach in tennis," he said. "Heather is so athletic that she'd be successful in any sport she tries. She's a natural athlete."

And she gets to play alongside her sister for two seasons each year.

"Maybe the coolest thing about what Heather has accomplished already is that she gets to do it with one of her best friends (Ashton) and those are memories she will never forget," Dineen said.

Badminton coach Chris Van Grondelle sees Nisbet's poise as a key asset to her abilities.

"In addition to being an incredible athlete, she just has a certain calmness and determination," said Van Grondelle, who also watched Nisbet win three singles conference titles at different levels.

"Regardless of how tense the situation is, Heather embraces and attacks it rather than worrying about it. There is something in her mental makeup that really calms her down when the pressure is at its highest.

"And she is an awesome kid."