North Carolina Basketball: The rising stock that is Isaiah Hicks
By Mike Knapp
Isaiah Hicks needs to take his game to the next level if North Carolina basketball is going to return to the Final Four.
Isaiah Hicks is a rarity in today’s college basketball landscape. Playing at a time where five-star recruits want to be given 30 minutes a night right off the bat, Hicks, a former five-star recruit himself, is about to begin his senior season and has never been a consistent starter for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
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This isn’t to say Hicks hasn’t had a productive career so far – he has improved every year he’s been in Chapel Hill culminating in a 2015-16 ACC Sixth Man of the Year award. Hicks was second on North Carolina in offensive rating, PER (player efficiency rating), and points per 40 minutes. He ranked only behind First Team All-American Brice Johnson in all three categories.
The problem with Hicks’ numbers, however, is the relatively small sample size, especially for a rising senior. Yes, he was one of the Tar Heels’ most effective players last year when he was on the floor, but he only played 18.1 minutes a game, which ranked seventh on the team. He was stuck behind the aforementioned Johnson, as well as fellow front court member Kennedy Meeks.
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With the graduation of Johnson, a gaping hole has opened up in the Tar Heels’ front line that was filled with 17 points and 10 rebounds a night last season. It is up to Hicks to plug this gap and prove that he can consistently produce for 25 to 30 minutes a night.
It won’t be solely up to him, however. Kennedy Meeks is fully back from the deep bone bruise he suffered last season and will look to improve upon an inconsistent 2015-16 season. The Tar Heels also will throw five-star freshman center Tony Bradley into the rotation because of the lack of front court options.
These are two solid players in the post, but both are lacking the potential upside Hicks has for this upcoming season.
Hicks has all the tools to be a dominant big man for the Tar Heels. His length and athleticism help him finish around the basket, grab rebounds, and bother shooters defensively. His explosiveness and motor give him an advantage over slower big men, as well as giving him consistent trips to the free-throw line (shot 75 percent last season).
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Despite all this potential, Hicks has yet to prove that he can consistently be the elite player he’s shown flashes of being. North Carolina needs Hicks to produce every night this upcoming season if they want to get back to the Final Four.