Maybe he’s not the highest rated point guard in the 2021 recruiting class but Nolan Hickman sounds like a perfect fit for what Kentucky coach John Calipari likes. The 6-2 Hickman verbally committed to Kentucky Saturday even though few knew he even had a scholarship offer from Calipari.
Hickman is transferring from Eastside Catholic in Seattle to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, for his senior season and his new coach, Paul Peterson, says he knows how to play at a “comfortable pace” that not every point guard can do.
“Whether it is fast or slow, he goes at his own pace. If he needs to go fast, he goes fast. If he needs to play slower, he plays slower,” Peterson said. “He just plays at a level that is comfortable. He is a fierce competitor, plays at his own speed, never gets rattled, and is just very mentally tough.
“You won’t see a lot of him pointing at cameras or that kind of stuff. He just plays basketball. He just kills guys but is very emotional-less on the court.”
Don’t doubt his passion for the game. Brent Merritt, his coach the last three years at Eastside Catholic, got his first taste of that the summer before Hickman’s freshman season when Eastside was playing in a summer tournament.
“A team is killing us by 13 in the championship game. He comes out and tells one of our coaches that we can’t play zone because they are killing us. The assistant coach told him to come tell me and he does,” Merritt said. “So I tell our team. ‘He’s in the eighth grade and says we can’t guard these guys in a zone so we have got to play man.’ We turned it around and won the game.”
Merritt also learned that Hickman took any challenge personally and used that to motivate him.
“He will get mad and go kill a kid (on the court),” Merritt said.
Merritt remembers a game against Daishen Nix of Las Vegas, one of the top point guards in the 2020 recruiting class who gave up his scholarship to UCLA to play in the G-League.
“We played them in Arizona and I told him Nix was the No. 1 point guard in the country. I said, ‘I am not saying he’s better than you but you do play the same position.’ He stopped talking to me. He knew what I was going but it still got to him,” Merritt said. “He kick Daishen’s ass and we beat them by 20.
Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, Washington and Oklahoma were among schools Hickman — who averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior. He also led the team with two blocks per game, a rarity for a point guard. Peterson says whatever a team needs to win, Hickman does it.
“If he needs to score 50, he scores 50. If he you need 20 assists, he’ll give you 20 assists. If you need him to lock down the best player, he’ll do that,” Peterson said.
What makes him such a good defender and shot blocker for a 6-2 point guard?
“He wants to come at the guy across from him. His wingspan helps a lot. His dad talks a ton to him about guarding and playing defense,” Peterson said. “He will tell them the guy across from you does not need to have to 20 (points) and you have 30. He is a more than willing defender and part of that is because his wingspan is amazing.”
Peterson knew Hickman had a Kentucky offer but stayed out of his recruitment. He felt his parents and AAU coach knew more to help him with recruiting.
“I am not the type of coach that has to be involved in everything,” Peterson said. “I never really asked about recruiting. He briefly mentioned it. When I heard he committed to Kentucky, I was really surprised. I about jumped through the roof. His dad texted me and one of his new teammates called me.
“He will be a great fit. The biggest thing is he is not afraid to be challenged. Whether he’s the No. 1 guy or No. 2 guy, he’s going to work the same and get after you whether it’s here or at Kentucky.”
