GARLAND – There was a time when South Garland's Nick Van Exel III wished he had his mother's last name. Carrying the name of a well-known former NBA player can be a burden for any high school player.

But as a senior on a winning team, Van Exel says he has learned to live with the expectations that come with having a famous father. Not to mention the heckling he hears during games.

"I've heard, 'Nick Van Exel, where's your dad to help you now?'" Van Exel said, chuckling. "People put it on me, but I can handle it."

Van Exel has handled himself well this season. He averages 9 points and 3.3 rebounds as a shooting guard. He has been a key contributor on a South Garland team that is 15-7 overall and leads District 10-5A with a 6-0 record.

He was 10-5A's defensive player of the year in 2007.

Nick Van Exel Jr. played 13 seasons in the NBA, including 1 1/2 seasons with the Mavericks (2001-03). He helped lead the Mavericks to the 2003 Western Conference Finals. He retired after the 2005-06 season with a 14.4 scoring average and one All-Star Game appearance.

JOHN F. RHODES/DMN

Nick Van Exel III (5) has helped South Garland to a 15-7 record, including a 6-0 mark in District 10-5A.

At 6-2, the younger Van Exel is an inch taller than his father. They don't resemble each other very much, but blood is thicker than appearances.

"You can see some of the fire and competitiveness, and he gets that from his dad," South Garland coach Garland Nichols said. "I love his drive. You can see that drive in him in all phases of the game."

Van Exel doesn't get his basketball genes from just one side of the family. His mother, Denise Arnold, was an all-district center when she played at South Garland from 1984 to '88.

Arnold, who stands 6-1 ½ , met Nick's father when they played for Trinity Valley Community College. She said her son resembles both of his parents, depending on the situation.

"He says when he's with me, he looks like me," Arnold said. "But when he's with Nick, his friends think he looks like him. They have the same exact hands and feet."

When Van Exel was in middle school, Arnold said her son struggled with having a famous name.

"He used to often tell me I should have given him my last name," Arnold said. "But he seems to handle it a lot better now."

Van Exel enjoyed the perks of having an NBA father when his dad played for the Mavericks. He was a regular at practices and games and was dubbed "Little Quick" – an adaptation of his father's nickname – by players such as Michael Finley and Steve Nash.

"It was pretty fun because he lived downtown, it was like 20 minutes away," Van Exel said. "I got to go to Mavericks games and go to a few practices. During the games, I used to go to the practice gym and shoot around."

Nowadays, the elder Van Exel lives in Houston and Nick III spends his summers down there. He hangs out with his father's NBA friends, such as Steve Francis, Sam Cassell and James Posey.

Sometimes he plays pickup games against the NBA greats.

"It usually doesn't go too well," Van Exel said. "You can push them, put your hand in their face, and they'll still make it."

Van Exel tries to low-key his NBA lineage with his teammates.

"When I first met him, I thought he was going to be thinking he was all that because of his dad, but he's not," forward TyAndre Freeman said. "He's real cool."

The senior Van Exel has been to a few South Garland games, once sitting on the bench at the invitation of the coach.

"His dad's got a little more handle than him, but you can see shades of his dad in him," teammate Charlie Shorter said. "He always wants the ball and always looks to make the best plays."

NICK VAN EXEL III

School, class: South Garland, Sr.

Height: 6-2

Position: Shooting guard

Born: May 31, 1990, in Kenosha, Wis.

Favorite NBA team: Celtics

Favorite NBA player: Kobe Bryant

Favorite place to eat: McDonald's.

Favorite TV show: Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Last movie saw: The Great Debaters

Favorite musician: Lil' Wayne

Favorite video game: NBA Live 2008. "I'm always the Lakers."

Wants to study: Broadcasting.

Funniest thing coach Garland Nichols has said: "One time at halftime he told us we couldn't jump high enough to pluck a duck out of a reindeer's butt. We laughed, but we waited until he left."