Analyzing top 6 uncommitted players in 2021 NCAA Basketball recruiting class
PG Nolan Hickman – No. 31 overall prospect
Teams involved: Auburn, Washington, Kansas, Gonzaga, Arizona, and UCLA
In a surprise move, Hickman left Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. The public answer involved wanting to go back out west near his home in the Seattle area but as of now, there’s no new list of teams to consider for him. He’s another outstanding prospect that has risen towards near five-star status after displaying impressive lead guard skills at the Iverson Classic.
Several months ago, few would’ve thought that Hickman was capable of running a top-tier program as the starting point guard as a freshman. That makes things very interesting, as the same programs that have been after Washington are also after his friend Hickman, including Arizona and Kansas, along with the programs in the northwest.
If “homesickness” is a major part of this, then Washington and Gonzaga would have to be viewed as the favorites. However, the Huskies just landed Stanford grad transfer Daejon Davis and is coming off a brutal past season. As for Gonzaga, they have All-WCC guard Andrew Nembhard coming back as the starting point guard and recently landed Iowa State grad transfer Rasir Bolton. That doesn’t even include incoming top-10 overall guard recruit Hunter Sallis. Even UCLA, who has recently been involved, has Tyger Campbell coming back too.
The Jayhawks were in the mix in the first go-around and could be involved once Washington makes his move. This will ultimately come down to whether Hickman wants plenty of playing time out the gate or is willing to take a smaller role in year one. If he’s willing to wait a bit behind Nembhard, Hickman can stay close to home and play for a powerhouse program. And even better, they don’t have to wait for Washington to decide, giving them an edge right now for Hickman.