2021 F Santos is feeling healthy and playing hungry

WINDSOR, Conn. - Watching how comfortably Nate Santos runs the floor, dunks, and protects the paint makes it hard to believe the 6-foot-8 forward suffered a serious knee injury only thirteen months ago.

Back in January 2019, a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament in Santos’ left knee cut his first season with Loomis Chaffee painfully short, while hurting his Class of 2021 recruiting stock in the process. After an uphill battle, he's back on the court with a recent performance against Suffield Academy’s Mac Etienne leaving little doubt that he's fully recovered.

UConn head coach Dan Hurley and University of Miami’s Jim Larranaga were among those in the crowd who watched Santos’ squad best Eteinne’s 86-81 in overtime.

“That’s a kid who has come a long way,” Loomis Chaffee coach Russell “Roc” Battistoni said of Santos. “Super talented, looks great physically. Can get to the rim, can score at all levels - it’s almost like he’s getting better every step of the way. His jump shot is pure, he has the ability to penetrate and finish - he’s tough.”

Santos' size allows him to mix it up around the rim and his athletic ability provides the versatility needed to defend just about anyone on the court. These skills give the three-star talent the tools to be a complete player on both ends of the floor.

“He can guard the big kid, he can guard the little, and everything in between,” Battistoni noted. “Would you put him on a beast 7-foot-2 kid? Maybe not all game, but he can scrap it out on switch and a lot of guys can’t do that. At 6-7, he has such a strong base to him and coaches the next level up want that versatility.”

Santos has made the most of his time at Loomis Chaffee and improved steadily under his coach's tutelage. Battistoni, who played college ball at George Washington under former UConn assistant Karl Hobbs, has helped Santos maximize his recovery time and will reap the rewards that come with having a better, healthier player.

“I feel like it’s improved greatly,” Santos said of his recent play. “I feel like I’ve gotten stronger and gotten used to hitting the boards and being more physical with dudes. I think I’ve matured a little bit and my game has matured a little bit … it’s definitely taken my game to many different levels.”

In addition to coaching, Santos sees his daily practice battles with Dayton-bound R.J. Blakney and Paris Shand, a 6-5, 240-pound two-sport athlete committed to the University of Arizona for football, as a driving force behind his development.

"We go really hard and we go back and forth in practice, and it’s really good to have those guys on my team,” he said.

Santos' recent play has piqued interest from college programs and his level of performance seems to have schools more worried about the recruiting competition, than his pre-existing condition.

“People wanted to see how he responded to his knee injury,” said Battistoni, who restricted Santos’ minutes to 15-16 minutes in the latter’s first games back.

The Loomis Chaffee head coach expressed his delight with Santos' recovery by saying, “It’s amazing, he’s such a physical specimen that his recovery has been tremendous. I think earlier in the season, he wasn’t as confident in his knee, but right now, the kid looks terrific... and he’s going to get better, too. I’d say he has a pretty high ceiling.”

This seems to be the shared sentiment of coaches at the next level, too, with more teams getting into the recruiting mix.

“Cal Berkley is coming after me pretty hard,” Santos said. “Providence, UConn obviously, and Illinois as well.”

Santos currently has offers from TCU and Illinois, with his Geneva, Illinois roots giving the Illini a potential recruiting advantage. His brother K.J., who played basketball at Illinois-Chicago and the University of Missouri, is expected to lend his expertise to help Nate arrive at an eventual decision.

Earlier this season, Santos was part of a large contingent of recruits that attended UConn's XL Center victory over Memphis. He’s also visited the main campus in Storrs and seems to have a positive opinion of the program.

“I went to the Memphis game and I went there, I think earlier this year, and watched practice (in Storrs),” Santos said. “I just really like the relationship between Hurley and his players, how the team, everyone has come together and the environment, the fans, love UConn basketball.

"(I also like) their style of play - they’re fast and they push the ball,” he added. “Basically, all those things are why I like them.”

Despite mounting interest about where he'll be playing his college ball, a decision of this magnitude is not something Santos is not rushing into. He’s prepared to take his time and find the right fit.

“I’m going to wait until the spring and summer to see how everything pans out,” he said. “(My brother) will definitely help me out a lot.”