Nolan Hickman's growth 'was huge' in junior season at Gonzaga

All-WCC guard was arguably the Bulldogs’ most improved player from last season

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Nolan Hickman met all of the outside noise head-on to put together a career year in his junior season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-2 junior was placed with high expectations from day one as a former top-50 recruit who was once committed to play for John Calipari and Kentucky. The early returns weren’t as impressive as some had hoped. He played sparingly as a freshman behind Andrew Nembhard before taking on the responsibility as the team’s primary ballhandler, a role that didn’t quite suit his skillset. The scrutiny from outsiders only got louder after his less-than-ideal performances in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Some players in that position might have decided it was time for a change in scenery. Instead, Hickman put on his recruiting hat and helped bring in Ryan Nembhard from Creighton to be Gonzaga’s lead guard of the future, which put himself in an off-ball role that allowed him to play more freely and hunt for his shot on offense. After some time to gel with new teammates and learn new responsibilities, Hickman played with the confidence and poise he needed to take the next step forward in his development path.

And that’s not just limited to his box score numbers. Hickman was seen as a leader for some of Gonzaga’s younger players, especially Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer, the two freshmen who made up much of the team’s depth off the bench. Both first-year players noted that Hickman’s openness about his past mistakes have helped in their transition process to the college level and managing high expectations out of the gate.

“Nolan Hickman’s year-to-year growth was huge,” said Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson on Gonzaga Nation. “Statistically it was incredible improvements, but more importantly to me his growth as a leader was huge. He was a great mentor to the two freshmen … he was a voice we heard a lot more, but especially I know those freshmen adjusting to college basketball and helping bring them along … that’s so valuable to our program.”

While taking strides as a leader, Hickman averaged a career-best 14.0 points while shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.3% from deep. His 78 3-pointers were the most on the team and third-most in the West Coast Conference. Those efforts earned Hickman a spot on the All-WCC second team.

Here’s an analysis of Hickman's junior season at Gonzaga.

• Watch the full season recap episode of Talking Zags on Gonzaga Nation's YouTube channel

WHAT WENT WELL

Hickman shot the 3-ball with a lot more confidence than his first two seasons, which boded well for a Gonzaga team that made 36.1% of its 3-point attempts (second-worst in the Mark Few era). Like the rest of the team, it took some time for Hickman to develop consistency from long range. But once he did, he reached a level of shooting that the program hadn’t seen in a long time.

Hickman’s peak around the middle of February resulted in four straight games with four or more made 3-pointers, the longest streak of its kind by a Gonzaga player since Derek Raivio in the 2006-07 season. For the season, Hickman had 3 or more made triples in 16 games, which is nearly identical to the same amount as Corey Kispert and Kyle Wiltjer (17) during their respective All-American seasons. Obviously Hickman is a different player in a different role than those two, but it’s a sign that he thrived playing more off the ball than he had earlier in his career.

After shooting a respectable 35.4% from downtown as a sophomore, Hickman bumped that average up to 41.3% as a junior on higher volume. From catch-and-shoot opportunities in transition to off-the-dribble around a screen, he looked to capitalize on just about every open look the defense presented him. No longer did he show signs of hesitancy or a lack of trust in himself - instead he looked and played like a more confident player.

WHAT HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Nembhard is likely going to command the offense once again next season, though Hickman will still have some opportunities as the primary ballhandler in certain situations. With that in mind, Hickman’s next step in his development path should focus on improving his ability to make the correct reads in pick-and-roll sets to become a more effective playmaker.

Hickman wasn’t a liability by any stretch when it came to turning the ball over, though in Gonzaga’s continuity ball-screen offense, his decision-making is key to the flow of the offense. He thrived coming off pin-down screens from Graham Ike which set up a nice two-man game on the baseline. But that consistency wasn’t always there in pick-and-rolls designed to get him to the middle of the floor, which sometimes resulted in defenders swarming to the ball before forcing a turnover.

If Hickman can be more decisive in that department next season, he’ll become an even bigger threat inside the arc.

OFFSEASON EMPHASIS

Hickman’s career season was a by-product of all the good habits he built over the course of the season. His honesty about his past made him a respected leader on a team that needed to hear a veteran’s voice to guide them through all the noise. The willingness to take a step back and let Nembhard have the reins of the offense put him in a better position to succeed, as did his mental toughness throughout the transition to a new position. 

Those qualities, while sometimes overlooked, have and will continue to be essential in Hickman’s continual growth. 

"His attention to detail and his work ethic, like I told him, it’s going to pay off," said Gonzaga assistant coach R-Jay Barsh on Gonzaga Nation. "You may not see it right now but it’s going to pay off. We would always talk about, ‘just keep stacking the days.’ And you’ll look up and the good days will start running into each other.”

Hickman will enter next fall having logged more minutes in a Gonzaga uniform than anyone else on the roster. He understands the level of expectations for himself and the program arguably better than anyone. Expect Hickman to be the voice who gets his teammates locked in for opening night in November.

MORE PLAYER BREAKDOWNS

• GRAHAM IKE

• RYAN NEMBHARD

• ANTON WATSON

• BEN GREGG

• DUSTY STROMER