'A tough year for me.' Ahead of NCAA opener, Gonzaga's Nolan Hickman reflects on experience at Utah's Wasatch Academy
Mar. 20—SALT LAKE CITY — Gonzaga's return to Utah comes with conflicted emotions for Nolan Hickman.
The junior guard spent the final year of his high school career at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, roughly 100 miles south of where Hickman and the Zags are tipping off Thursday at the Delta Center.
Hickman, a former five-star recruit, according to ESPN, enhanced his recruiting profile at Wasatch Academy, averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds while facing some of the nation's top programs, including GU teammate Ryan Nembhard and Montverde Academy.
But Hickman doesn't necessarily look back at his time in Utah with fond memories.
That might be putting it nicely, too.
"Absolutely hate Utah, honestly," Hickman said. "For me personally, I don't mean to bash Utah, but I personally don't like Utah. That was a tough year for me down there at Wasatch. It was COVID, I'm two hours away from the actual city of Salt Lake. I'm in Mount Pleasant, so I didn't quite have a good time there in Utah."
Hickman hopes to have a better experience Thursday.
The Bulldogs enter their NCAA Tournament opener as a six-point favorite and should expect a pro-GU crowd at the Delta Center.
"We're back, I should be OK with the (altitude) and everything," Hickman said. "I'm kind of used to that, but I should be fine. ... West Coast, over on this region is always good for us."
McNeese State point guard Mike Saunders Jr. didn't overlap with Hickman at Wasatch Academy, spending two seasons at the school from 2018-20, but he got to know the Gonzaga guard through a mutual connection, Texas Tech guard Pop Isaacs.
"Nolan's gotten way better since the last time I've seen him," Saunders said.
"I'm happy for him, he's had very good success at Gonzaga. Very steady point guard. He can shoot the ball, good facilitator. I'm happy for him, for sure."
Saunders' final year at Wasatch looked a lot different than Hickman's first year at the school.
"(Hickman) had a way worse experience than I did," Saunders said. "We literally had the best record ever in program history my senior year."
A two-time transfer, Saunders is averaging 5.9 points per game in his first season at McNeese State after previously spending two years at Cincinnati and one at Utah.
