Former state player of year re-enrolls at Palo Verde

Nick Christensen

Monday, Dec. 20, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.

Nate Schulte is officially back.

A high school junior, Schulte has enrolled at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin and is planning on returning to the team this season, pending approval from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

In his sophomore season with the Panthers, Schulte averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, en route to the 4A state championship. He was named the Sun's All-State Player of the Year for 2003-04.

In September, Schulte enrolled at Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire. Several times this season, talk of his return circulated among local basketball coaches and fans, but each time Schulte would refute the speculation and say he was happy with his basketball experience at Brewster.

In the end, though, Brewster couldn't offer the one thing Schulte missed the most -- his family.

"Being on the other side of the country, it was different there," Schulte said. "I would talk to my mom and dad, but everybody was different."

Interim Palo Verde coach Paul Aznarez would not comment other than to confirm Schulte's enrollment at his school. But Schulte seemed confident that he would return to the defending state champions this year.

If the NIAA does approve his return, Schulte would join an already loaded Panthers lineup. P'Allen Stinnett is among the valley's leaders in scoring, and Brian Marks, Lucas Gums and Jarrell Harrison provide other key pieces of the second-ranked Panthers' puzzle.

"They were like 'Sweet! Nate's coming back!' " Schulte said. "It's like a family. Everyone loves everyone."

Schulte also said his return had nothing to do with his on-the-court experience at Brewster.

"As far as basketball, I loved it. It was the most fun I've ever played in my life," Schulte said. "I wanted to be with my family. You never really know what you miss until you're gone, and I missed my family and friends."

The Panthers play in the Wild West Shoot-Out at Reno this week.