Basketball a family affair
Nathan Cayo’s wife, Eva, is hard to miss during the Niagara River Lions’ home games.
Accompanied by the couple’s soon-to-be, one-year-old son, Lucas, Eva can be heard shouting encouragement to her husband and his teammates from her seat behind the basket Niagara shoots on in the first half.
The 26 year-old Montreal native wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s everything. She has been with me through thick and thin and through good times and bad times. I look at her during the game and she gives me great pointers. We do everything together and having her there is as important as anything.”
Eva comes by her sports knowledge honestly. Her father, Guy Hansen, was the major league pitching coach with the Kansas City Royals from 1991-93 and in 2005 and the bullpen coach in 1996-97. He has held many other jobs in sports as well.
“He is a legend at UCLA so they know sports in that family. She is no stranger to high level sports,” Cayo said.
He gets plenty of help from another in-law as well.
“My mother-in-law (Eva) watches all the games and she also calls me and gives me pointers. It is a whole family affair.”
The 6-foot-8 forward spent the last two seasons playing in the CEBL with the Montreal Alliance. He averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2023 before joining Niagara for the 2024 campaign.
“Every season is a one-year contract so you go into negotiations. I felt that they were giving me a great opportunity to expand my game and continue to become a better player. He (Victor Raso) is a great coach and they have a great organization so I am happy to be a small part of it.”
It has been a great fit for Cayo, who played five seasons of NCAA Division 1 ball at Richmond. There, he averaged 8.9 points, 1.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 155 games. His field field goal percentage of 55.2 per cent ranks fourth all time in school history.
“I have been developing my shot and guard skills and he puts me in a position to show my full potential. He’s not putting me in a box and he is letting me be aggressive and be myself. It has been great so far.”
It has gone exactly how Cayo expected.
“I was a fan from afar seeing their program the last two years I played in the CEBL. Once I felt that our minds aligned, it was an easy decision.”
Raso is high on Cayo.
“I love him and I loved that I could bring him here. He is 6-foot-8, he has got guard skills, he shoots really well and he can switch and cover smaller guys in the post. He is exactly what I want in a four man,” he said. “I never thought Montreal would not pay him what he is worth. They didn’t and I had an opportunity to come in and our reputation was good. He came and played for us and I hope he never leaves.
Cayo’s game is ever evolving.
“I am trying to take it one day at a time and get better every day. I need to continue working on my shot, really all my skills and my IQ. I think it is the start of something great but I am taking it one day at a time,” Cayo said.
Basketball is his passion.
“It is a team game and on any given night someone else can step up and do something great. You learn stuff on the court and off the court and you have to challenge yourself individually and as a team. There are lessons you can learn that you can take into your life after sports and it is something I have always loved since I was a kid.”
Prior to joining the River Lions he suited up with the Memphis Hustle and Ontario Clippers in the G League.
Next home game for the River Lions is Wednesday versus the Brampton Honey Badgers.
Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
