Puka Nacua's High School Coach Reacts To Los Angeles Rams Receiver's Rise: 'He's A Rock Star!'
Before Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua was tearing up the NFL in his rookie season, he was a premier multi-sport athlete at Orem High School in Utah.
The Las Vegas native's focus was on football, but he also played point guard for the school's basketball team. This left Orem basketball coach Golden Holt with a dilemma: how would he accommodate Nacua while making sure he isn't above the rest of the team?
Initially, he thought about booting Nacua from the team despite their close relationship, but after consulting with Orem principal Lynn Gerratt, he decided on a different solution. If Nacua didn't practice with the team that week, he would not play.
While Nacua didn't see the court nearly as often after that decision, he was still there every step of the way to cheer on his teammates.
Nacua celebrates a big play at SoFi Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sport
“Some of my greatest memories of that season were of Puka on the bench," Holt told Deseret News. "I’m telling you, after a play, at a timeout, a critical point, he was coaching, he was whooping and hollering, he was just pumping everyone up. He was so happy for their success and he’s sitting on the bench. You don’t fake that. He had that kind of charisma, genuineness, good heart and team attitude so lacking in today’s world."
Nearly half a decade later, Nacua and Holt are still exceptionally close. So much so that the rookie sensation invited his former coach to watch the Rams take on the Cleveland Browns at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 3. Not only did the Rams win that game 36-19, but Nacua broke the franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
For Holt, seeing his former player ball out in front of thousands of adoring fans was a special experience.
“He’s a rock star,” Holt said. “I haven’t been to many NFL games and SoFi was enormous. It meant so much to be there and see him because we’d bonded over the years for a lot of reasons.”
As Nacua continues his rise to stardom, it's clear the 22-year-old hasn't forgotten where he came from.
