Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Isaiah Hicks was recently rewarded for his fantastic senior season of high school basketball. The 6-foot-8 forward won the N.C. 3A state championship and was named 2012-13 Gatorade North Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He was also a McDonald’s All-American and will be joining the North Carolina Tar Heels.
He averaged 22.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.6 blocks, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists on the year. In the state title gamel he had one of the best box scores in North Carolina history; he finished with 34 points, a tournament-record 30 rebounds and seven blocks.
“Coaching against him is a nightmare,” said Wilton Baskett, coach of rival Northern Vance High to the Charlotte Observer. “He’s 6-foot-9, but moves as gracefully as a point guard. A lot of times bigs are more stationary, but he’s shooting (3-point shots), getting assists, making mid-range jumpers and dunking off the rim without bringing it down. He’s phenomenal. I was just telling people, ‘Graduation is June 8, and June 9 will be one of the happiest days of my career, because Isaiah will be gone, and now we’ll have a chance.’”
Hicks will give the Tar Heels much needed depth because he can play either forward position as well as shooting guard if need be. He is part of a fantastic Tar Heels recruiting class that is only waiting for Andrew Wiggins to become the crown jewel; Kennedy Meeks is an excellent player in the class as well and should be fun to watch next year.
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