THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Education the hardwood way — Caden Symons, the youngest in a well-known basketball family, is closing out a record-setting career at Coeur d’Alene High

Caden Symons strolled into the basketball office at Coeur d’Alene High the other day. 

For one of the few occasions this season, he didn’t have someone from an opposing team closely following him. 

Or two. 

Or three. 

“I’m getting used to it,” the Viking senior said. “It’s annoying having to play against that every game, but you start to get used to it.” 

Despite all the extra attention, the 6-foot-5 Symons has been scoring at a record clip for Coeur d’Alene this season. 

He is averaging 28.8 points per game this season for the Vikings (6-12). In nine games he scored more than 30 points, including a 53-point outburst against Alta of Sandy, Utah, at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas in December. 

He became Coeur d’Alene’s all-time leading scorer in the Fight for the Fish game at Lake City, breaking Kyle Wombolt’s record of 1,235, set in just two seasons (1985-87). 

With three regular-season games remaining, and at least one more in the postseason, Symons, who has signed with Division I Evansville in Indiana, now has 1,411 career points. 

“Last year I got face-guarded, but I never got double- and triple-teamed like I have this year,” Symons said. “I saw a box-and-one, and a couple schools in Vegas ran a double-team at me every time I crossed halfcourt.” 

“I thought we would see more (gimmick defenses),” Coeur d’Alene coach Kent Leiss said. “We have not seen any box-and-ones or triangle-and-twos. They play a defender as a chaser, trying to deny him the ball. We’ve seen where literally up to three people are guarding him.”  

In recent weeks the Vikings, with Symons the only returning player with varsity experience, have been using that added attention to their advantage. 

"They’re learning how to cut off me when I get double-teamed,” Symons said, “and I’m getting better at finding them.” 

“We were noticing on film that when Caden gets the basketball and puts it on the floor, one dribble, the entire defense is focused on him and they turn their backs and their heads on the other four players on our team,” Leiss said. “And we’re trying to get them to move toward the basket and open areas.” 

Helped by that adjustment, and the growth of the other players, the Vikings are considered a contender for a state berth — something that wasn’t necessarily the case at the beginning of the season. 

A LIFETIME Coeur d’Alene resident, Caden has grown up in a basketball family. 

His mom, the former Nicole Nipp, starred at Coeur d’Alene and then at Lake City. She later was girls basketball coach at Coeur d’Alene High. 

His dad, Corey, played one year at Lakeland High and three years at Falls Christian Academy, and is in his 11th season as North Idaho College men’s basketball coach. 

Both parents played at NAIA Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash. (Corey played his first season for Rolly Williams at NIC). 

Their other child, Madi, is the all-time leading scorer for Coeur d’Alene girls basketball with 1,461 career points (how many families can say the boast the career scoring leader at a school in both boys AND girls basketball?). 

Madi is now a junior playing at Wyoming, where she’s also in pre-med. 

Caden is a 4.2 student, and has been accepted into the business school at Evansville, where he wants to become a financial advisor. 

“It’s been good,” Caden said of growing up in a basketball family. “You learn a lot of life lessons in basketball, too ... there’s a lot of battles and obstacles you have to overcome, and growing up where everyone plays basketball or had played basketball made it a little easier; bouncing ideas off my mom and dad and my sister. My sister went through all that (recruiting) stuff two years before I did, so it was good to have her thoughts. 

"With her in pre-med, and a Division I athlete, she doesn’t have a lot of free time, but she always makes time to call me ... I’m super grateful,” Caden said. 

GROWING UP, Caden played whatever sport was in season. In 2018, he was on the Coeur d’Alene team that played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. 

Nicole was Caden’s coach for several years growing up — first in parks and rec, then in AAU. 

“She's always done a great job of always being there for me off the court,” Caden said. 

Corey handled a lot of the individual basketball training for his son. 

“His whole childhood he would come over after school to practice,” Corey said. “And then we would work out my guys, and he would jump in and do drills with them.” 

Caden remembers being “overly competitive” when he was younger, getting “lots of technicals” and getting into it with teammates. He said his parents did a good job “reining me in.” 

Corey recalled one game, when Caden was in the fourth grade and Nicole was coaching, playing for a North Idaho Elite AAU team at a tournament at Whitworth. 

Caden’s team was up by 1 point, with the ball, and about 15 seconds left. 

“Basically all you’ve got to do is dribble the clock out and you win,” Corey recalled. “He’s trying to get the ball and dribble it out, and one of his teammates that doesn’t understand basketball at that age chucks up a shot and misses it, and the other team gets the rebound, and they take off and get a layup at the buzzer to beat us.” 

Caden, Corey said, took off his shirt and threw it at his teammate ... “How do you not know this?” 

Corey and Nicole grounded their son from basketball for two weeks. 

Corey called Sam Dowd and Braian Angola, a couple of his players at NIC at the time.  

“You want to make an easy 100 dollars?” Symons asked them. “For the next two weeks you’re going to go to Caden’s practices with him and you’re going to teach him how to be a good teammate. He doesn’t get to practice; he just gets to stand on the sideline. 

“Sammy went to practice with him, and Caden stood on the sideline and just cried his eyes out, because he couldn’t practice, and Sammy made him cheer for his team.  

“And it’s full circle, because he’s going to be playing for Sammy now." 

Dowd is an assistant coach at Evansville — as is former NIC assistant George Swanson. 

Lesson learned by Caden, through the tears. 

“We’re so proud of him this year, he’s done a good job managing his emotions,” Corey said. “He’s a fiery kid; that’s what makes him so good.” 

“He was fun to coach, and he was tough to coach at the same time, because he was so emotional at that age,” Nicole recalled. “I loved the chip on his shoulder, his drive to win, and teaching him how to control all that over the years. 

"If we could get through a tournament without any technicals, it was a win in the Symons household,” mom added. “It was not always easy at times. It was fun, and challenging, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” 

THE PAST three years, Caden has played AAU for Idaho Select — all five starters on his team are heading to Division I programs next year. 

One advantage of dad being the local juco basketball coach is being able to hoop it up with the players in the offseason, in open gyms. 

“Just playing with older, faster, stronger kids all my life has really helped me,” Caden said. “It developed my mental game more than anything, because when you play against guys that are bigger and stronger than you, you have to find ways to impact, and score, and play defense; find smart ways to play the game.  

Now that I’m as big and strong as everyone else, that gives me an edge.” 

Early on, Caden remembers playing against Angola, who went on to play at Florida State. 

“He’s like my big brother,” Caden said. “I remember working out with him, and playing against him. ... It was awesome; he never took it easy on me. So you had to figure out ways to get better. It’s helped me a lot.” 

“I told my guys, ‘Don’t take it easy on him, play like he’s one of you,’” Corey said. “So they would whup up on him pretty good. 

“He actually fit in great,” Corey added. “Caden always had a big perception of his ability. When he was 10, 12 years old, he thought he was just as good as my guys.” 

"My dad would never take it easy on me; he would always push me to be the best basketball player and person,” Caden said. “He did an amazing job of showing me life lessons through basketball. Never taking a day off from basketball will help me with whatever I go into in the future.” 

Funny what kids pick up on their own. 

Nicole said Caden’s basketball IQ was such that, at age 5 or 6, he knew the plays that dad was running with his NIC team, and knew why. 

“He could shoot at NIC at age 3 with good form, with a men’s ball,” Nicole said. “No one taught him; he just kinda did it.” 

At a regulation basket. 

"I’m like holy crap, I can’t believe he can get the ball up there,” Nicole recalled. “And his form is actually decent.” 

CADEN IS in his fourth year on the Coeur d’Alene varsity basketball team.  

Last year, he was second-team all-Idaho in 6A. 

Leiss is in the first season of his second stint as Coeur d’Alene boys coach. 

He spent the last 11 years at Sandpoint High, the first four as the Bulldog boys basketball coach, before retiring as a teacher after the last school years. 

He said he watched Symons play two or three games last year. 

“When I watched him last year, I thought he was a good player,” Leiss recalled. “But where it really jumped out to me was when he played our first tournament this summer at West Valley. He scored 120 points in four games and was absolutely unguardable. I did not see that four months ago.” 

HEADING INTO high school, Symons didn’t know if he was going to play football or basketball in college. 

He became the starting quarterback early in his sophomore year at Coeur d’Alene High, and helped the Vikings reach the state title game.  

He said he actually received recruiting interest in football from colleges before he did in basketball, and he went to a few football camps in the summer. 

Among the schools he talked to in football were Idaho, Idaho State, Nevada and Montana. 

“For them, they didn’t want to offer me until they knew I was going to sign,” Caden said. “And I couldn’t tell them I was going to sign because I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do.” 

And when interest from colleges in basketball took off the summer prior to his junior year, he stopped going to football camps and focused on basketball as his future. 

“It was kind of a gut thing,” Caden said. “Also, I grew up in a basketball family, so ... I knew I always loved basketball more.”   

A broken right collarbone suffered midway through his senior year brought a premature end to his football career. 

He was cleared to play basketball after Coeur d’Alene’s first game of the season. 

“At the beginning of the season we had a long talk about how he has to be a leader and a role model for our guys,” Leiss said. “He’s done a really good job.” 

So far, so good for Symons and the Vikings, who have navigated a rugged schedule, and have improved to the point where they are hoping to challenge Post Falls and Lake City for District 1’s lone berth to state. 

“I’ve been a head coach for 30 years,” Leiss said. “I’ve had six really good shooters, and I’d put him in that category. And overall, he’s my best offensive player. And what makes him that is his ability to drive through three guys to the rim, and spin, and take contact, and make shots. I’ve never had a guy that could do it like that. He’s just powerful.” 

THE BAR is high in the Symons family. 

Nicole has won five state championships — three as a player, two as a coach. Madi has one state title, playing for her mom. 

Caden played in a state football title game as a sophomore, and the Vikings reached the semifinals the past two seasons.  

When he was a sophomore, the Viking basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the state semis. 

“His ultimate goal is to win a state championship,” Corey said. “His mom has five, his sister has one, and he wanted one ... he wanted to make sure dad was the only one without a state championship. 

“He hates to lose, more than he loves to win.” 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Coeur d'Alene High senior Caden Symons attracts the attention of four Lake City defenders in a recent game.