Elite point guard prospect who’s considering KU is moving from Seattle area to Utah
Nolan Hickman, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Eastside Catholic in Sammamish, Washington, who has Kansas on his list of prospective colleges, will transfer to Wasatch Academy in Utah for his senior year of high school, he announced on Twitter.
Hickman — he is ranked No. 76 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com — has received scholarship offers from KU, Washington, Arizona, UCLA, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Oregon State and others. The Seattle-area native is said to be close to announcing a decision.
“You’ve just got to stay tuned for that,” Hickman told scorebooklive.com. “It’s coming soon.”
According to Endless Motor Sports, Hickman conducted a Zoom call with KU coach Bill Self last week.
“Shotmaking lead guard with size has become a priority for the Jayhawks since an offer was extended in late April,” Endless Motor Sports wrote of Hickman. He averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game his junior season. He hit 59% of his shots including 38% of his threes.
“Lead guard with a potent jumper is one of the more under appreciated prospects in the nation,” Endless Motor Sports added of Hickman.
He’s unflappable,” Eastside Catholic coach Brent Merritt told scorebooklive.com. “He’s extremely poised. He can’t be hurried. His confidence is at an all-time high all the time. The moment’s never too big for him, ever. He’s a coaches dream because he wants to win. It helps that he’s a great person as well.”
Hickman noted: “I don’t shy down from any competition. I’m not scared of anybody.”
National power Wasatch Academy, which is located in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, went 27-2 last season. The Tigers were the No. 2 seed entering the GEICO National High School invitational, which was called off because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Texan Shelby considering KU, others
Noah Shelby, a 6-2 junior point guard from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, has not yet narrowed a long list of schools that includes Kansas, Baylor, TCU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Minnesota, Georgetown, SMU, Texas A&M, Stanford and Vanderbilt.
“I think that they (college coaches) love my shooting ability and my versatility at the guard spot, being able to play both the 1 and the 2 because of my growth,” Shelby told Rivals.com. “My biggest focus has been working in the pick-and-roll and getting faster and stronger.”
He is ranked No, 141 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com.
Foster offered pro contract
Mike Foster, 6-foot-10 senior power forward from Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, who is ranked No. 8 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, has been offered a two-year contract to play professional basketball in the Australian NBL, his mentor told Zagsblog.com.
“It it one of his options along with college and other professional options,” Foster’s mentor, Chianti Clay, said.
Foster, who has a list of KU, UCLA, Michigan, Illinois, Baylor, Georgia, Florida State, Arkansas and others, plans on remaining in the Class of 2021 rather than switching to 2020.
Senegal’s Gueye considering KU
Mouhamed Gueye, a 6-11 junior from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, and originally from Senegal, tells 247sports.com he has a list of KU, Arizona State, California, Columbia, Harvard, Nevada, Rutgers, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State and others.
“He has tremendous size and length, plus athleticism, good hands and feet, a high motor and elite upside on both ends of the court. While Gueye still has plenty of work to do to reach his potential, the upside is glaring,” wrote Brian Snow and Josh Gershon of 247sports.com.
Colin Smith lists KU, Texas, others
Colin Smith, a 6-7 junior small forward from St. Mark’s High School in Dallas, has a long list of schools that includes KU, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Michigan, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA, SMU, Texas A&M, Minnesota and others.
He is ranked No. 58 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com.
“While he isn’t an elite athlete, he is more than athletic enough, and Smith can dribble, pass and shoot for a player his size. Add in a good motor and a solid feel for the game, and Smith appears to be someone who should be in-line for a ranking,” wrote the 247sports.com duo of Josh Gershon and Brian Snow.
Coleman wants to play in NFL, NBA
Keon Coleman, a 6-4 senior football wide receiver and basketball guard from Opelousas (Louisiana) Catholic High School who recently committed to KU as a scholarship football player and basketball walk-on, has pro aspirations in both sports.
“The big thing was the relationship with the coaches and the way they’re going to use me,” Coleman said of why he picked KU in an interview with Jayhawkslant.com. “I think I can get there and be successful and make it to the NFL. And they also give me the chance to make it to the NBA, too, if that works out. Kansas had the full package I wanted.”
Coleman, a four-star in football and unranked in basketball, chose KU over Oklahoma, South Carolina and 27 other schools.
“It was cool to know I’m going to be able to play basketball at a high level too, that I know I can compete at,” Coleman said. “Coach Self has that confidence in me that I can do it. When I called coach Self and told him my decision, he was really excited. He was just as happy as I was. I plan to win a national (basketball) championship at Kansas,” he added.
Sochan to stay overseas
Jeremy Sochan, one of KU’s recruits in the Class of 2021, has decided to remain overseas in Germany for his senior year of high school rather than returning to Indiana’s LaLumiere School because of the pandemic.
Sochan, a 6-7 senior forward, has a list of Kansas, Baylor, Florida State, Xavier, Michigan State, Virginia, Creighton, Arizona and Vanderbilt.
“Once the pandemic started, I realized it’s going to change the dynamics of a lot of things, but it wasn’t until the last few weeks when I started thinking about maybe staying in Europe,” Sochan told ESPN.com. “Now, given the COVID-19 situation seems worse in the U.S. than in Europe, I decided with my family that it’s better for me to stay here to finish high school and continue my basketball development.”
Sochan, who is originally from Poland, is ranked No. 39 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com. He will play for Orange Academy in Ulm, Germany.
“I wanted to make sure that I maintain eligibility for college, but also have the best environment to grow as a player — and Ulm offers this,” Sochan told ESPN. “It’s a fantastic place with great people and coaches, who I’ve met a couple years ago when I visited, and we’ve been in touch since.”
Sochan is keeping open the option of returning to the U.S. for college in 2021-22.
”It’s always been a goal to play college, and I’m leaning towards college, but you never know,” he said
Griffen likes Big 12 teams
Rylan Griffen, a 6-5, junior combo guard from Richardson (Texas) High School who is ranked No. 29 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, tells Zagsblog.com he’s been speaking a lot with coaches from KU, Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma and Auburn.
“They told me if I can shoot, I’ll be on the court a long time. They (KU coaches) are really cool and they like the way I can score,” Griffen told Zagsblog.com.
Of K-State he said: They want me to fill my cousin’s (Thomas Gipson) shoes.”
Griffen also is being recruited by Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, DePaul, SMU, TCU, Arizona, Texas A&M, Illinois, Duke, Purdue, Florida State and others.
Visitation for KU manager Roche is Saturday in Chicago
Visitation for KU senior football manager Jack Roche, who died Saturday at 21, will take place from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday at Marist High School, 4200 W. 115th Street, Chicago. There is a maximum 50-person building capacity. Guests must wear a mask at all times. For information go to curleyfuneralhome.com. Funeral Mass and interment will be private.
Roche, according to the Beverly Review, “was a manager for the Marist football, baseball and boys basketball programs and he was a student ambassador and member of the string ensemble. He won the Jack Callahan Spirit Award, which is voted upon by the senior class and recognizes a graduating senior who has exceptional school spirit and a never-give-up attitude.”
He served as football manager at KU for three seasons and was to graduate this May. KU coaches and players flocked to Twitter this week to honor Roche, whose nickname was “Coach” at KU.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
