THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Jan. 11, 2014

At a time when Shikei Blake needed basketball, it was there.

When North Idaho College needed a little bit of a spark, Blake was there.

As it turns out, it might have been the best thing for everyone involved.

BLAKE, A 6-foot-8 freshman forward from Wilmington, Del., wasn't even expected to be on this year's roster for the Cardinals at first as coach Jared Phay intended to redshirt him.

"He was open to the redshirt as far as improving as a player and his academics," NIC assistant coach Thane Jackson said.

Then, Blake grew up, fast.

On Nov. 5, 2013, his brother DeKeevis Johnson was killed in an accident in Delaware. That same week, Blake's aunt also passed away.

"It hurt a lot and I was home for a while," Blake said. "After hearing about it, I was just like, 'I don't want to play basketball anymore and just wanted to go home. I spent hours sitting by the lake in the cold just thinking that I didn't want to play anymore and just wanted to be with my family. I talked to my mom, and she wasn't allowing that. Most kids like me don't get a chance to play college basketball where I'm from. So I just had to man up and take this route and play basketball."

"It (removing his redshirt) had to do with basketball, but certainly didn't have anything to do with it at all," Jackson said. "With his family situation, I was concerned that he'd stay over there, and I wouldn't blame him a bit, but we're happy to have him regardless."

Blake returned to NIC later in the month, and that's when NIC and Blake decided to remove his redshirt. He played for the first time on Nov. 30 against Williston State - the Cardinals' ninth game of the season - and finished with 11 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in a 99-88 win in Coeur d'Alene.

"My brother always told me to go out and play hard," Blake said. "I've thought about him every game and just went out and did what I had to do for him and my aunt also."

IN THE Cardinals' Scenic West Athletic Conference opener at Utah State-Eastern on Dec. 12, Blake injured his left elbow diving for a loose ball.

"Somebody fell on it and everyone thought it was broken," Blake said. "We went to the hospital and the doctor just said it was hyperextended."

"Luckily, that was just a bit of a scare," Jackson said. "But he's good to go now."

Blake has appeared in 10 of 19 games - all off the bench - this season for NIC (15-4, 2-2 SWAC), which continues conference play today at 5 p.m. against 12th-ranked Southern Idaho (16-2, 3-1) at Rolly Williams Court. The game will be preceded by the women's game between 19th-ranked NIC (16-3, 2-2) and 11th ranked CSI (16-2, 3-1) at 3 p.m.

"I love playing here," Blake said. "Coach Phay is probably one of the top five coaches I've had in my entire life. He likes defense, which I do too and gets on me every day to get better, which I like. Because if he's not getting on you, that means he doesn't care about you. He's definitely like a father figure, because I haven't had a father in my life, so he's been like that. Just being there for you on and off the court. He was one of the first people that I talked to about the deaths in my family and he just told me to keep pushing and be a stronger person and go hard."

Blake is averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds a game this season.

"He's a great kid all the time," Jackson said. "Even when we had the 3-on-3 tournament (Coeur d'Alene Shootout) during the summer, he's the star of the show. He's been really good on other fundraisers, community events and going to schools. He's great with that. He brings a lot of fire and intensity in games, and that's something we were missing early on. He definitely brought it and helped our heart a lot."

Something tells me the feeling is mutual.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.