Nick Novak doesn't wear short shorts, hasn't been known to wear his socks up high and his preferred footwear isn't the old canvass-top Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars.

But as far as elite scorers go, Novak is somewhat of a throwback.

A 6-foot-1 senior at Franklin Regional High School, Novak leads the WPIAL in scoring with 31 points per game. But while in today's game it's most likely points in that large of a quantity come from either repeatedly slashing to the basket and getting to the rim or by launching a barrage of 3-point shots, Novak prefers to rack up the points the old-fashioned way: the mid-range jumper.

"I take pride in that shot," Novak said. "That's not in a lot of people's games right now; most people like to shoot that 3-ball. I've never really been a flat-footed jump shooter. I've never been one to spot up and wait to get a pass. The ball is always been in my hands. I usually don't like to step out past the 3-point line much unless I'm wide open. I'm much more comfortable with the 16- or 17-footer, pulling up on somebody off the dribble and elevating over them."

Novak has been doing that with great regularity this season, helping to lead the Panthers to a 7-4 overall record, 2-3 in Section 2-AAAA. The Panthers lost, 66-41, at Gateway Tuesday, and will entertain second-place Fox Chapel tomorrow night. Novak missed the Gateway game with a leg injury and might also miss the game against the Foxes, but he is expected to return to the lineup soon.

Old-school coaches have been known to lament the lost art of the mid-range jumper. The introduction of the 3-point line has compelled players -- and coaches who design their offenses -- to understandably venture out a few extra feet and be rewarded with an extra point. In lieu of that, young players justifiably tend to gravitate to the basket for more high-percentage field goals of the two-point variety.

Novak can do both of those things. But it's almost as if he does them simply as a way to open up opportunities to do what he likes to do most.

"His best shot is the 15-foot jumper," Franklin Regional coach Doug Kelly said. "He's good at getting to the rim, too. But what we talked to him about in the offseason is shooting the 3 when he's got it because we knew that would open things up inside the line a little more. And now that he's knocking them down, he's had a little more room to move up."

What makes Novak's penchant for piling up the points while jump-shooting even more unique is the fact that he isn't doing it as a specialized spot-up player who comes off screens.

As he has been since he started playing the sport seriously in the third grade, Novak is a point guard.

"My job on this team to help it win is to get about 30 points and have about eight assists or so and make sure I'm solid defensively and help on the glass," Novak said. "I know I have to score for us to win, so I put pressure on myself to score. I'm scoring more than other point guards, but I'm getting assists, too, which is nice."

Novak averaged 21 points per game last season, and Kelly spoke with him about improving that production a bit this season for the Panthers, who are a relatively young team outside of Novak and senior forward Anthony Vendemia.

But that wasn't going to mean a change in position for Novak.

"For the most part, I like to put the ball in Nick's hands, where he can create for himself and create for the team," Kelly said. "He's at his best with the ball in his hands.

"He gets everybody involved and makes everybody around him better. With a young team, I trust him. I know he's not shooting when there are three guys on him; he'll kick it out to [junior guard Josh Staniscia]. When he drives and help comes, he's good at finding that open man."

At the college level, there is a possibility Novak will play more of a shooting guard position, but Kelly believed he can be an effective point guard, too. Division II schools Pitt-Johnstown, West Liberty State, Wheeling Jesuit and Seton Hill have offered scholarships, and Division I colleges are beginning to show interest.

"I'll play point guard, I'll play the wing, I'll do anything," Novak said. "As long as it gets me there."