Pazin leaves Merced with tough shoes to fill

Michael Jordan and LeBron James are synonymous with Nike shoes. Under Armour pays Stephen Curry a lot of money to wear their shoes. James Harden has a big contract with Adidas.

Shoes have always been a big part of the NBA culture and it trickles down to high school basketball.

Nobody’s shoes got more attention in Merced County and maybe the whole Sac-Joaquin Section than Merced High senior Jared Pazin’s pair of New Balance shoes.

“I know all people hate on New Balance shoes,” Pazin said. “I remember I was telling my friends I was going to get a pair as joke. I could hear people laughing when I played. People would get out their phone and take pictures.”

Pazin started wearing his New Balance basketball shoes as a joke, but he ended up liking them. He called them the grippiest shoes he’s ever worn. He also swears they helped with his plantar faciitis.

“He’s the first in all my years playing and coaching that I’ve seen wear New Balance shoes,” said Merced coach Hector Nava. “He’s the first one to wear New Balance and probably the last one.”

Wearing his white shoes with the black trim, Pazin was named the Central California Conference Most Valuable Player after averaging 18.7 points and leading the Bears (22-7) to a CCC championship.

Pazin is also the Sun-Star Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

“He heard it from the crowds, I’ll tell you that much,” said Nava, who is also the Sun-Star Coach of the Year. “Jared wearing New Balance shoes tells you the type of kid he is. He doesn’t care what people think of him. I could hear people chant ‘New Balance’ during our games. I would hear the chuckling. I found it funny. It’s a good thing he can play. When you’re as good as he is you can wear any shoes you want.”

Shoes aside, Pazin can flat out ball.

Pazin was deadly when defenses left him open on the perimeter. He made 68 3-pointers this season. He was also tough to keep out of the paint with his ability to attack the basket to score inside or set up his teammates.

He’s also the player Merced wanted to have the ball at the end of the game for his ability to create plays and the fact that he shot 85 percent from the free-throw line.

“This year I tried to step it up in all aspects of my game,” Pazin said. “Whether it was shooting or attacking the basket, making plays for my teammates. I just wanted to play at a high level.”

Pazin and teammate Isaiah Aguirre were the first players to spend all four years in the program since Nava took over. Nava says it’s strange now when he goes into the gym and they’re not there.

“It’s devastating for me,” Nava said. “I need to recover. I’ve had him and Isaiah with me at morning shoot arounds. I’d show up and Jared would already be there. It’s been fun to see the transition he’s made from his freshmen to senior year and the player he’s become.”

Pazin was a quiet, steady force for the Bears. The type of player who let his play speak for him, but there were moments when he was the one firing up his teammates after big shots.

“He’s an extremely quiet leader,” Nava said. “But I told myself I would allow him to be too quiet. I was going to make him speak a little more. The way he did things, he knows when to show emotions. He knows when to pump his fist after making a big shot. He knows when he doesn’t need to show emotion. He’ll hit a big shot and come into the huddle like nothing happened.”

The end result was Pazin helping lead the Bears to a successful season that included an 11-1 run to a CCC championship and a journey that ended in the second round of the playoffs that ended with a 73-60 loss to top-seeded and eventual Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions Whitney of Rocklin.

“I’ve never been on a team that was as close as this one,” Pazin said. “I think that’s what made us special. That helped us get to the playoffs and win CCC. It was a fun environment. Our main focus was to get the team where it needed to be. When we were competing at our highest level we were tough to beat.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Pazin leaves Merced with tough shoes to fill."