‘Like riding a bike’: Tournament experience has Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman feeling comfortable on big stage

WICHITA, Kan. – Nolan Hickman raced into the front court with the ball in his hands, open space and the rim about 25 feet away.

As Hickman left his feet, Ryan Nembhard, walking to the scorer’s table to check into the game, calmly said, “Bang, bang,” with Hickman’s shot in midair.

“I knew it was going in,” Nembhard said later.

It went in, like so many of Hickman’s shot attempts this season from inside and outside the 3-point arc. The senior guard from Seattle knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 18 points to guide eighth-seeded Gonzaga past No. 9 Georgia 89-68 Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hickman has started eight consecutive games in March Madness and played in 11. That experience showed against the SEC Bulldogs, who haven’t been to the tournament in a decade and didn’t look comfortable on the big stage.

“That’s just a testament to what coach (Mark) Few has done with previous Gonzaga teams,” Hickman said. “We’re always here. This is my fourth year here. It’s kind of like riding a bike.”

He left some tread marks on Georgia defenders by connecting on 5 of 7 shots, 5 of 6 from distance. He also had three assists and a +34 plus/minus, matching Braden Huff for the team high.

Hickman elevated his 3-point accuracy to 45% this season after a 41.7% mark as a junior. He’s made a complete turnaround in the NCAA Tournament. Hickman was 0 of 14 on 3s in his first seven tourney games as a freshman and sophomore. He’s drained 13 of 23 (56.5%) in his past four March Madness contests.

“Honestly, man, you do anything four times you start becoming really experienced at it,” Hickman said of his four NCAA Tournaments. “Just four years of me staying down and dedicated to my work, all of it just starting to show from last year and spreading into this year.

“It’s a testament to what this program does. It produces a lot of great guys and a lot of four-year guys. I think I’m a product of that.”

Hickman went through some ups and downs in his first two seasons, and he heard about it at times in comments on social media platforms.

“I would say freshman and sophomore years, I was kind of younger so I kind of listened and paid attention to it,” he said. “After a while, you’ve been through it for quite a while, it’s kind of letting it roll off your back. I don’t pay too much attention to it now.”

Hickman has been on a hot streak over GU’s previous seven games, making 14 of 32 3s. His five made 3s Thursday were one short of his season high (six in the first meeting against Santa Clara).

“Sniper, sniper,” senior post Graham Ike said when Hickman’s name in mentioned. “Since I’ve met him, he’s grown so much in his mentality, his spirit and his next-play mentality. He doesn’t get too high or too low. And he knows the next shot is going in if he misses one. He’s always looking to keep that glass half full.”

“He’s playing great ball,” Nembhard said. “He’s shooting like 50-40-90 (percentages on field goals, 3-pointers and free throws). He does everything for our squad and he’s a hell of a leader. Super proud and super happy for him and he’s showing it on the biggest stage.”

Hickman is at 48.1% from the field, 45% on 3s and 93.1% on free throws.

“Feeling good,” he said. “Feeling like the rim has been wide open for me, any look is going up and my guys are finding me.”