Nolan Hickman, center, no longer will be a Wildcat.
Nolan Hickman Jr. is now a None And Done at Kentucky. The McDonald’s All-American point guard has asked for his release from Kentucky after signing with the Wildcats in November. He said he had “nothing but love BBN, Coach Cal, and the entire Kentucky coaching staff” on Instagram.
After the transfer of Devin Askew and no word on whether Davion Mintz will return for an extra year or not, Hickman was the only point guard on UK’s 2021-22 roster. The 6-2 Hickman is the fourth-rated point guard in the 2021 recruiting class and No. 29 player overall. He picked UK over UCLA, Kansas, Arizona, and others.
Hickman transferred from Eastside Catholic High School in Washington to play his senior season at Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy to allow him to face better daily competition to prepare for Kentucky. He averaged 16 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game last season.
“He plays to win, which our best guards I’ve coached do. Nolan is someone who can play multiple positions in the backcourt, who can fly in transition, and most importantly can create for himself and his teammates. Our guys will love playing with Nolan as he is a team-first player who is incredibly mature,” coach John Calipari said after signing Hickman.
Kentucky went through a 9-16 finish last season and point guard play was a team issue all season. Askew was wildly erratic and finally, Calipari went to Mintz for the final few games.
Kentucky fans were not discreet in their criticism of Askew and many were not upset when he left and transferred to Texas.
Hickman and his father followed Kentucky’s play. Nolan Hickman Sr. said he felt his son could have helped UK and would be ready to show this season why he was better than many thought. The Hickmans also insisted they were ready for the intense scrutiny UK players face from the media and fans.
“Kentucky can be rough. The fan base showed its true colors at times this year,” Nolan Hickman Sr. told me about a month ago. “Nolan knows he has to be prepared. Kentucky would win and fans would tag him on Twitter. He was like, ‘Why me? They won and I am not even there.’ I told him that was just preparing him for what it would be like. Kentucky has tough fans and you have got to be thick-skinned to survive.”
Hickman Sr. said his son understood the impact fans could have on social media — both positive and negative.
“Kentucky’s kids were not happy. They did not want to have a bad season,” Hickman Sr. said. “They didn’t get a chance to bond from the start and figure out how your buddy likes to catch the ball and shoot. They never got that bond due to COVID,” Hickman Sr. said.
“Devin did an awesome job. Mintz did as well. They just did not have the amount of guards you need. It was just a weird blend and COVID certainly did not help. We don’t know for sure what was missing until we get there. Nolan understands that and is preparing himself to come in,” Hickman Sr. said. “He is another ballhandler. He pushes the ball at a steady pace. He sets guys up. He’s ready to help.”
Or at least he was until something changed his mind. Maybe it was the UK staff turnover with assistants Tony Barbee and Joel Justus, his two recruiters, now gone. Maybe it is who he thinks Calipari is going to add at point guard through the transfer portal in the next few weeks. Maybe it was the overall pressure of playing at UK. Maybe it is just being homesick after being away from his family all last season.
The Hickmans have not given any specific reasons for the decision and may not.
Kentucky has been recruiting high school point guard TyTy Washington and point guard transfers such as Marcus Carr of Minnesota and Rocket Watts of Michigan State.
Many still expect Kentucky native CJ Frederick of Iowa State, a shooting guard, to transfer to UK. Illinois guard Adam Miller, a combo guard, is announcing his new school today and it could be UK.
Shooting guard Kellan Grady has already transferred from Davidson to UK.
