Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman expects ‘a lot of emotions’ when he returns to Seattle for Kentucky game

Bulldogs senior guard prepares for what might be his last college game in his hometown

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior Nolan Hickman. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

When Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant head coach R-Jay Barsh heard Nolan Hickman was holding a youth basketball camp near his hometown of Seattle, he jumped in his car and drove all the way across the state the morning of to be there with his senior guard.

“I showed up and as soon as he saw me, he’s like, ‘Coach, you want to say something?’” Barsh recalled. 

Hickman didn’t ask Barsh to drive the five or so hours — but he also wasn’t going to deny his campers a chance to hear from another notable basketball figure from the area. Barsh, a native of Tacoma, Washington, has been to just about every gym in King County and Pierce County over the last four decades. After serving as an assistant at the University of Puget Sound, he helped lead Tacoma Community College to three Western Region titles in four seasons and an NWAACC championship.

Rather than speak on his own accomplishments, though, Barsh took the chance to highlight a side of Hickman that doesn’t always come through when he’s on the court.

“In front of you at this time, you have a player who I think had 86 wins, Sweet 16 appearance, Elite Eight appearance, McDonald's All-American, Jordan-All American,” Barsh told the campers. “And he's sitting here — this is the most important thing to him today. I wanted my son to see that, to see the display of humility from somebody who he's like, ‘Oh, look at Nolan.’ I wanted him to see that part as well.“

Clearly, the connection between Barsh and Hickman goes much deeper than their assistant coach-player relationship and their ties to the Pacific Northwest would suggest. In a way, Barsh is an extension of Hickman’s family, with how he preaches the importance of being present and in the moment much like Hickman’s parents would back home. When he was younger, Hickman and his mother would say a prayer before his games — a pregame routine he now shares with his coach.

Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi (left), assistant coach R-Jay Barsh (middle) and senior guard Nolan Hickman (right). / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

“It's heartwarming,” Hickman said. “This is our workplace, where we're going to have to do things and all that and so I feel like just having a prayer, and a guy like coach Barsh, who is heavily into faith, just … you can never get too many prayers. You can never have too many angels on your back while you play the game and do anything, not even basketball, you can never ask for too many.”

As Hickman prepares for his fourth and perhaps final college game in his hometown on Saturday when No. 7 Gonzaga battles No. 4 Kentucky at Climate Pledge Arena, the 6-foot-2 guard expects to feel quite the rush of emotions — and an angel watching over his shoulder.

“It’s going to mean a lot to me,” Hickman said of playing back in Seattle. “My grandmother is no longer with us so, it's going to be a lot of emotions in the arena. She had a ticket, it was already booked before she passed, so it's gonna be hard for me. But me and my teammates plan to go out there and play as hard as we can and eventually come out with the win. 

Just having that in my head that my angels are watching me, my grandma's watching me. She would be here if things didn't happen the way it happened but that's just God, and God makes everything happen for a reason so, I have that in the back of my head the whole game.”

Hickman has delegated the duty of handling ticket requests from family members and friends to his parents. So far the count is estimated at over a dozen so far, with likely more on the way before Saturday. Hickman admitted there’s a little bit of extra motivation to not let this one in his “backyard” slip away to the Wildcats, especially considering his previous three trips back home in a Bulldogs uniform have all ended in defeat.

Gonzaga lost to Alabama, 91-82, at Climate Pledge Arena in 2021 and fell to Washington, 78-73, and UConn, 76-63, in consecutive weekend trips to the Emerald City last season.

“It's my senior year so I want to end every one with a bang,” Hickman said. “But especially this one back at home, in the hometown, backyard — definitely. I don't want to give this one away."

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