Nolan Hickman wraps up Montverde Invitational with 23-point performance

Photo: Jon Lopez/Nike

The future of Kentucky’s backcourt has been showing out on a national stage the last few days.

In his final game of the annual Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament on Saturday, class of 2021 point guard Nolan Hickman was the star of the day once again, posting 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals on a 10-22 shooting clip. Going up against the country’s top-ranked program in Montverde Academy, the 6-foot-2 high school senior and current UK commit led all scorers and was arguably the best player on either side.

Hickman’s Wasatch Academy, ranked No. 8 in the nation, didn’t come away with the win against the hosts, Montverde Academy, on Saturday, losing 73-66, but the incoming Wildcat outplayed his superstar counterparts. Montverde is loaded with five- and four-star recruits featuring the likes of Caleb Houstan (No. 8 prospect out of 2021), Jalen Duren (No. 2 prospect out of 2022, who is considering UK), Dariq Whitehead (No. 9 prospect out of 2022), Langston Love (No. 34 prospect out of 2021), Justice Williams (No. 30 prospect out of 2022), Jalen Hood-Schifino (No. 26 prospect out of 2022), Malik Reneau (No. 72 prospect out fo 2022), and Ryan Nembhard (No. 112 prospect out of 2021).

There’s a very good reason they had won 44 games in a row before Kennedy Chandler’s No. 2 ranked Sunrise Christian beat them on Friday in overtime. Had it not been for a rough second quarter for Hickman and Wasatch, they might have been able to make it two losses in a row for Montverde. Despite winning the fourth period 20-12, Wasatch was outscored 21-6 during the second, resulting in the seven-point loss. Hickman was able to trim the Montverde lead down to just four points thanks to a fancy floater in the lane with three minutes remaining. However, Montverde responded with seven unanswered points to seal the victory.

Individually, Hickman was the top scorer for Wasatch during the Montverde Invitational, which began on Jan. 28 and just finished up on Saturday. The mini-event gathered other elite high school programs from across the country such as No. 5 Oak Hill and No. 19 LaLumiere School to make up a talented pool of the next generation’s stars. Wasatch finished with a 3-3 overall record through six games against a tough grouping with Hickman averaging 17.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on an impressive shooting split of 45.2/38.9/92.8. 

His highest scoring game actually came against Montverde in what was Wasatch’s final outing of the event before they make the long trip back home to Utah. Considering the next-best high school prospects on Hickman’s team were a pair of 2022 four-star guards in Pop Isaacs and Roddy Gayle Jr., the future ‘Cat proved that he doesn’t need a cast of McDonald’s All-Americans surrounding him to be successful. During Friday’s 15-point win over the famous Oak Hill Academy on ESPNU, Hickman dropped 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

The array of skills that Hickman brings to the floor makes him a threat to score at all three levels. He’s proficient working out of the pick-and-roll and can slow himself down without making mistakes when penetrating inside the lane. Once he does wiggle his way into the paint, Hickman can score with either hand at the rim or bounce a perfect pass into the pocket of his roll-man. Force him out to the perimeter and it’s pick your poison on defense–Hickman can create shots with a stepback or simply rise up and over his defender thanks to a high-release point and long arms.

Plain and simple: if you need a bucket, Nolan Hickman can get you one. During its broadcast over the weekend, ESPN consistently compared him to current Cleveland Cavaliers lead guard and former Vanderbilt Commodore, Darius Garland.

But like most young point guards, especially those who carry the majority of the workload, he will occasionally force up tough shots or try to slip in a sneaky pass that winds up in the hands of the opposition. That being said, the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to Hickman’s production on the hardwood. He’s a crafty finisher and is inclined to keep his head up when bringing the ball up the floor.

The ‘Cats have a good one coming in next season.