6’2 ’16 Josh Nork has been a regular at many Phenom Hoop events over the past few years. He has attended our Drills and Skills Camp at North Mecklenburg High School along with our NC Phenom 150 exposure/evaluation camps. Back in October 2014, we wrote, “Josh is a very unselfish, fundamental player who knows how to compliment this teammates. He passes the ball and moves without the ball very well. Josh has a consistent jump shot as well as makes great decisions with the ball.” Josh is a guy that is always making basketball plays. Camp evaluator Ron Murphy wrote, “Josh swung the ball on offense, rotated on defense. He communicated on both sides of the ball and played good defense vs. big name players. He made shots too, but it was the winning plays that stood out.”
At our spring 2015 evaluation camp, Josh once again caught out eye. We wrote, “Josh is a guy with a very solid basketball IQ. He knows the spots on the floor where his teammates and himself, can be effective. He is a very vocal leader on the court, which is a great quality to have.”
He had been playing his entire junior basketball season at York Prep (Rock Hill, SC) with a mass in his abdomen. Over time, it began affecting his stamina to the point he finally told his parents about it in early May. On May 5th, Josh was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor the size of a man’s fist. He immediately had surgery on May 15th to remove the cancerous tumor. He was told it would be at least weeks before he could return to the court. In the meantime, he had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation to make sure the cancer was completely gone from his body.
Josh has always been the ultimate gym rat. He has a deep love and passion for the game of basketball. Josh took every opportunity to live his life the way he wanted. He continued to work out and attend local camps. In June, Josh attended a Gardner-Webb Elite camp and was awarded the “Gatorade Player of the Camp.” During camp, Josh wrote the word “FIGHT” on his right hand and Phil 4:13 on his right hand. (Philippians 4:13 states “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”)
Later in June, Josh attended the Phenom Hoop Summer Jam Fest with York Prep, which was the last organized ball he played during the summer. Starting in July, Josh began a brutal nine weeks of chemotherapy. Even during chemotherapy, Josh continued to work out twice a week on the game he loved. On September 10th, Josh was declared cancer free and started school on September 14th at Teays Valley Christian School in West Virginia. He was even invited to the State Capital to meet with the Governor to promote more awareness for Childhood Cancer.
His father Bill Nork stated, “his body has been through a lot but somehow God is providing him with the supernatural strength to push on so that he can be glorified. Josh knows he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him and he is living by his word.” We at Phenom Hoops can attest to the unbelievable work ethic Josh has displayed over the past few years, but his dedication and faith over the summer has been a deeply touching story. As Coach Ron Murphy alluded to in his report, “with Josh it was the winning plays that stood out.” Since then, Josh has been making plenty of winning plays both on and off the court. In addition, Josh sports an amazing and impressive 4.1 GPA. He’s a fighter and he wants to continue this basketball career helping others.