Reed Nikko’s journey from man of the house in high school to Big ‘Sota at Mizzou
After Reed Nikko finished eighth grade in Minnesota, AAU teams started calling. They were recruiting the growing forward to join their team, but Nikko had other plans. He wanted one last summer of basketball with his friends — and his dad, affectionately known as “Coach Russ.”
He went through with the last hurrah, later joining the world of AAU and recruiting the next year.
A year after that summer, Nikko earned his first scholarship offer after performing well at a University of North Dakota camp. He realized a path to playing college basketball was possible. It was June 18, 2013.
But one day later, Russ Nikko died from an unexpected stroke.
As Nikko readies for the Missouri Tigers’ Senior Day game on Saturday against Alabama, it’ll be the last time the 6-foot-10 forward plays on Norm Stewart Court. Nikko, now 21, said he thinks about his dad daily — and it’ll be that way for his final game at Mizzou Arena.
“My biggest thing is those are things that shape me, but I don’t think they define me,” Nikko said. “I don’t ever want anyone to give me an extra opportunity because something happened to me. Like look at me, or woe is me. I want to earn things the same as everyone else.”
‘Man of the house’
Nikko picked up many aspects of his life — both his love for the outdoors and the hardwood — from his father.
The fisheries and wildlife major and his affinity for nature is well-documented, perhaps no more than in Mizzou’s 2019-20 nonconference schedule reveal. A video of him in the Columbia woods accompanied fun facts about team mascots.
When Nikko checked in for his first varsity game at Maple Grove High as a sophomore, he recorded a triple-double. It was in points, rebounds … and blocks. The talent was evident, said Nick Schroeder, Nikko’s high school coach.
Nikko and his team dominated, aided by his stellar pick-and-roll play alongside current Wisconsin guard Brad Davison.
“He plays for the right reasons,” Schroeder said. “He competes for the right reasons. Having that passion to play from his dad really drives him to be the best that he can.”
Russ’ death shook the Nikko family. But there was another factor: Reed’s brother, Parker, 11 years old at the time.
In the aftermath, Reed, then 14, remembers one of his friends came up to him. The message rang deep: “You need to set an example for your little brother. I know you’re going through a lot, but you’re the man of the house now.”
“I’ve always tried to embrace that ever since,” Nikko said. “I try to be a role model for him. I know there’s things that you don’t always want to talk to mom about.”
While Reed and his brother, Parker, are three years apart in age, they’re four school years separated because of how their birthdays lined up. The hidden perk is how they go through similar stages in life. When Reed was about to embark on his freshman year of college, Parker was just entering high school.
There was a moment that sticks out, said Kris Nikko, their mother. Reed was home for a brief August visit right before his freshman season at Mizzou. With the brothers about to take their collective next step in life, Reed looked Parker in the eye and told him if he needed anything — even if it was just to find the math classroom — to call him, day or night.
“As a parent, seeing them and how close they are and what an amazing relationship they have, I couldn’t ask for more,” she said. “They have something special.”
For a kid who was always “wise beyond his years,” Kris Nikko said of Reed, it was a lot of growing up to do after his father died. Today, the bond between brothers is strong as ever.
“He was that father figure for his brother,” Schroeder said. “The love that he had whenever he talked about his brother was amazing. His brother still goes to school (at Maple Grove) and he wears Mizzou stuff every single day. Obviously, Reed has rubbed off on him and looks up to him.”
Big ‘Sota steps up
When Reed Nikko arrived at Columbia, the nicknames started to fly.
As a 6-foot-10 forward from Minnesota, his teammates targeted him often — though it was mainly Jordan Geist and Adam Wolf. The “Big Diesel” was around for a bit. He was the “Big Alarm Clock” for a month, courtesy of Wolf. And somewhere along the way, “Rizzo” turned into “Big Chorizo.”
But none stuck like “Big ‘Sota.”
“100% Jordan Geist,” Nikko said who gave him the iconic nickname about his home state. “That one happened to stick. I don’t know why or how it started.”
The forward is Mizzou’s lone senior, but his age isn’t why Nikko is one of the team’s leaders. His mom points out how Nikko isn’t a rah-rah type of leader, but leads by example.
“I can safely say now he is our team leader,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said on one of his Tiger Talk radio shows. “He wasn’t before earlier this season because I think it came from within. He got validation when his production came up on the floor. It was all him.”
Nikko has been Mizzou’s rock solid center throughout SEC play, when Jeremiah Tilmon’s injury pushed him into action. While Nikko had been a role player, he’s ending his career with a resounding bang, starting the past 19 games.
His conference averages of 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds don’t pop off the page, but his efficiency numbers are some of the best on the team.
“It’s been absolutely crazy,” Nikko said. “Just going off like not really playing much and being kind of a late rotation player early in the year to all of a sudden Jeremiah goes down.”
There’s been plenty of highlights in the past few months. His game-saving block on Georgia guard Anthony Edwards completed a 20-point comeback win. Nikko scored a career-high 14 points at Vanderbilt without missing a shot.
There was a stretch early this season where his rotation spot wasn’t solidified. He played a cumulative 14 minutes over a five-game nonconference stretch. There’s no worry of that now: Nikko has played at least 14 minutes in all but one game since he took over as a starter.
“Ending on a good note is a really good thing, but I think it makes it harder for it to end,” said Kris Nikko, who added that a contingent of around 30 friends and family members is expected at Mizzou Arena on Saturday.
“It’s hard to believe it’s coming to an end here quickly.”
It’s been a whirlwind four-year career for Nikko, who’s seen every corner of Mizzou’s recent successes and downfalls.
The Tigers won just eight games his freshman year. There was a 20-win, NCAA Tournament season a year later. There were his final games as a Tiger, when Nikko transformed from role player to starter, becoming a fan favorite nearly overnight.
Nikko pointed to his personal 4-0 record in Rally For Rhyan games as one of his favorite Mizzou memories.
On Feb. 8, the annual charity game to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, the Tigers donned special pregame warmup gear with a name on the back of each shirt in honor of the event.
When Nikko approached his locker, he paused. He saw whose name was on the back of his shirt: Rhyan Loos.
“That was a really big honor,” Nikko said. “I really didn’t even know about that until I literally got to the arena. It meant a lot to me.”
Nikko said he isn’t sure whether he’ll pursue any professional opportunities going forward. That decision will come after the season’s over. He’s academically focused, but skilled 6-foot-10 forwards aren’t exactly common.
Those close to him stress one piece of Nikko: his humor. More accurately, his dry humor. It’s part of who he is — and who’s had an influence on him.
“The goofy little kid side of him not everybody gets to see,” Kris Nikko said of her son. “There’s a part of him that maybe he only shows to his closer friends. There’s a goofy kid underneath all that. There’s an expression of his father too.”