Recruiting Report: Malcolm Nicholas ’18

As a 6-foot-5 guard with a deft shooting touch, stout on-ball defense, and an adeptness at knifing to the rim, Malcolm Nicholas scored and scored often during an illustrious stay at Mater Academy in Miami. Under legendary South Florida high school coach Marcos "Shakey" Rodriguez, Nicholas averaged 24.5 points as the focal point. The system implemented by Rodriguez gave Nicholas the freedom to create for himself and also score via freelance one-on-one moves. Nicholas authored a 33-point eruption during a loss to The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.) in the championship of the annual A-Rod tournament, with the famed Yankee slugger in attendance. While Mater wound up taking a double digit loss against a traditional SIAA-FL power featuring LSU-commit Darius Days, Nicholas' thorough offensive arsenal was evident. The Miami native would end up sharing tournament MVP honors with The Rock's Jamari Wheeler, a quick and high-scoring point guard who is now at Penn State. Now at Believe Academy (TN) for a post-graduate season, Nicholas will assimilate to more of a facilitator's role. In packing muscle onto a spindly 175-pound frame and investing more time into his body transformation, Nicholas envisions himself as a point guard at the next level. "I've always had an above average IQ and been able to see the floor well, so it fits as far as my style of play," said Nicholas, who has been a steady defensive presence throughout the preseason. "That's where I see myself playing at the next level. Right now, I'm focusing on getting bigger and readying myself for that level." Nicholas possesses the quickness and athleticism to prosper in a souped-up attack. This is the style Believe head coach Tyson Waterman will likely enforce, albeit the team possesses a fair share of long-range shooters in Charlie Cochrane, Ty Patterson, and 6-foot-8 Coty Jude. This post-grad team entertains a national schedule and will compete in a handful of exposure-heavy events while also competing on the prestigious Grind Session. While Nicholas initially had offers from Hartford and Canisius on the table, one prominent Miami hoops pioneer persuaded Nicholas to do a post-graduate season. South Carolina head coach Frank Martin, known for his militaristic approach and high-strung style, was instrumental in placing Nicholas at Believe. Martin is both Nicholas' Godfather and an all empowering reminder of Miami's past hoops glory. "Frank Martin and my father (Malcolm Nicholas) both coached at Miami Senior High when they had Steve Blake and Udonis Haslem," Nicholas said. "(Coach Martin) basically told me it would be good to get an additional year to develop. He called coach Tyson about bringing me in and the rest is history." Eastern Michigan and UT-Chattanooga have offered Nicholas. IUPUI head coach and former Arizona star Jason Gardner offered him last week. "I've been hearing from South Florida, Jacksonville State, Jacksonville (FL), and I recently spoke with (head coach) Danny Manning and (assistant coach) Jamill Jones at Wake Forest," Nicholas said. "With coach Martin being my Godfather and being the head coach at South Carolina, he said if I continue to improve and do what I got to do here there could be an opportunity for me." Realistically, Nicholas would like to create his own path. With an impressive handle and the ability to guard multiple positions beyond the back court, Nicholas has the attributes to be a steal at the mid-major level.