York County football kicker gets Division I college opportunity
Before every high school game, Central York kicker Nick Basile would write the number 1,000 on his cleats.
It was a reminder to himself not to get too high or too low after any kick.
Because there would be plenty more coming in the future.
Basile will need to keep that mindset the next four years.
The Central York senior verbally committed to Division I St. Francis earlier this month during his official visit. Basile plans to sign his letter of intent when the regular signing period begins on Feb. 5. He said he's already paid his admissions fee to the school, but waited to sign with the program so more family members can be in attendance when he does.
"My dad always says, 'you're going to kick 1,000 more balls,'" Basile said of how he stays calm in big moments. "That always keeps me calm.
"I've wanted to go to school to play ball. For a while now I've had Division I aspirations."
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Located in Cambria County, St. Francis competes in the Northeast Conference in NCAA Division I FCS, formerly called Division I-AA. The Red Flash went 6-6 this season under head coach Chris Villarrial.
Basile will join former Delone Catholic linebacker Zack Schussler and Eastern York receiver Dylan Zurin as YAIAA players on the Red Flash roster. Former York Catholic standout Hakeem Kinard finished a standout career there last year and had an NFL tryout.
Basile will be a preferred walk-on, which is typical for most kickers at the Division I level. He said he has gotten academic scholarship money.
He also got interest from Albany, Lafayette and Duquesne.
"Ever since my first visit I could see myself there and knew I could learn more and kick there," Basile said. "They put their faith and trust in me. Their players are a top priority to them and they want you to grow academically and they give you the tools to succeed."
Interestingly enough, Basile's personal kicking coach, Lance Geesey, had an outstanding career at St. Francis after kicking for Cumberland Valley in high school.
Geesey believes Basile has just started scratching the surface of his potential.
"He's put a lot together, but he's still a work in progress like every kicker is until they hang up their cleats," Geesey said. "He has a lot of power that he hasn't tapped into yet. I think the sky is the limit."
How he became a kicker
Like many kickers, Basile's journey to football started on the soccer field.
He grew up in the Catholic school system and played for a highly-competitive travel soccer team throughout his childhood. Basile was in seventh grade when one of his dad's friends suggested he give becoming a kicker a shot since his son played football.
He nailed a 40-yarder during his first practice session.
By the time he entered high school, Basile had found a new passion. And when a coach from Maryland visited him at Central York his sophomore year, he began to really take it seriously.
"It was very hard to say goodbye to soccer, but once I started getting coaching for kicking I heard it's not the best thing to do (both)," he said. "By the end of my sophomore year it started to click that I could really do this."
Basile spent his freshman year at York Catholic and went 25-of-34 on extra points for a team that won a District 3 Class 2A title. He transferred after the season to Central York, the school district that his family lived in.
Over the past three years, Basile scored 167 points for the Panthers while hitting 90% of his extra points and 60% of his field goals with a long of 38 his junior season. This past year he made 95% of his extra points (52-of-55) and was the league's highest-scoring kicker for a dominant Panthers team that scored 60 touchdowns in 11 games and limited his field goal opportunities.
He also handled punting and kickoff duties for the Panthers. This past year, he averaged 51 yards per kickoff and 35 yards per punt, taking as much pride in those jobs as he did with scoring.
"The coaches gave me freedom with punts and kickoffs to go with the direction and style I thought worked for the situation," Basile said. "They trusted me and let me have the lead on that."
Basile said he learned to embrace the pressure of having the spotlight on him during kicks. It all goes back to the number 1,000 on his cleats.
As for playing another position, Basile said former Central York head coach Josh Oswalt often lobbied him to try something else, but it never interested him that much.
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Basile admitted those pleas might have been done slightly in jest.
"He always brought up that I should play somewhere else so he wouldn't just have to call me 'kicker' and yell at me to get him some water," Basile said with a laugh. "He probably knew I wouldn't play anywhere else. We joked that I was his intern because I helped stock the vending machine in the football room with healthy snacks."
The regimen of a kicker
Basile said it's a misconception among football fans that kickers don't need to be in great shape.
He believes his kicking has gotten better as he's continued to work on his physique the past few years.
"It's extremely important because the more fit you are, the more confident and relaxed you are," Basile said. "Coach Oswalt did a great job getting all of us in shape.
"People think it's just about lifting for legs but it's more than that and more than just power."
Basile said he spends about 10 to 12 hours each week practicing his craft. That includes watching video of himself to study his technique.
And while he said he has the range to make a 50-yard field goal, his kicking sessions rarely focus on those types of kicks.
"I can't remember the last time I practiced just distance," he said. "If you're doing the right things, distance isn't a problem."
While his workouts vary, Basile said most of his kicking drills focus on accuracy. Sometimes he'll practice hitting a specific target like a light post. Or he'll move to different spots on a practice field and kick through narrower targets than a goal post.
He'll often stand in the end zone and try to kick the ball straight up through the posts to improve the height on his kicks.
Geesey said that Basile still sometimes rushes through his kicks, but that his mechanics have greatly improved over the past few years.
"When I started working with him, he was a raw kicker and his mechanics weren't necessarily there," said Geesey. "One big thing we work on is keeping his leg and ankle locked and bringing his hips through the ball to maximize his power. And using his plant foot to get a good lift on the ball."
Basile has also attended kicking camps all over the country including stops in Atlanta, South Carolina, Texas and Las Vegas. He recently competed with other specialists for a spot on the Big 33 Football Classic roster. He met Baltimore Ravens all-pro kicker Justin Tucker at a recent event.
"I told him I had just committed to play Division I football and he told me to (direct message) him on Twitter and he'd try to get back to me," Basile said. "It's always worth the shot to reach out."
While the Red Flash bring back starting punter Oliver Ryan and starting kicker Trevor Thompson next season, Basile said his goal is to get on the field as soon as possible.
He plans to major in business management. And while he said he has dreams of going pro like most players do, he picked St. Francis partly because it will help set him up for life after football.
"My goal is to focus on all three (field goals, kickoffs, punts) and win the jobs in camp," Basile said. "Right now I'm staying on the grind and staying in shape."