Ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman Prepares for First-Round Matchup with Georgia
Gonzaga senior guard Nolan Hickman is no stranger to Wichita, Kansas, as the Bulldogs are set to face Georgia in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Though his previous trip to Wichita wasn’t for basketball, Hickman has fond memories of his time there, having competed in the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships when he was just 8 years old.
“I won the Junior Olympics in that place when I was 8,” Hickman said after Selection Sunday. “I don’t mean to brag, but I was pretty fast back then. I won both the 100-meter and 200-meter races, so I have two gold medals. I still have the records. You can look it up – I had the fastest 100-meter time at 8 years old, which is pretty cool, I guess.”
In 2019, Hickman’s 13.69-second time in the 100-meter was a USATF record for the 8-and-under boys division. While he didn’t pursue a career in sprinting, Hickman’s quickness has certainly translated well to basketball, as he’s demonstrated throughout his college career. He’ll look to continue that success on Thursday when Gonzaga (25-8, 14-4 WCC) faces off against SEC’s Georgia (20-12, 8-10 SEC) at 1:35 p.m. PST at Intrust Bank Arena.
Here’s what Hickman had to say about Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament placement and more after Selection Sunday:
On seeing Gonzaga as an 8-seed: “We were all really excited. Just having our names called on Selection Sunday is a blessing. Everyone was ready to get started and finally know who we’ll be playing so we can get to work in practice tomorrow.”
On facing Georgia in the first round: “They’re a talented team. I know a bit about Asa [Newell] since he visited here. He’s been putting up great numbers at Georgia, so we’ll have to do our homework on him and make sure we double down on him when they’re on offense. They’ve got a good group overall.”
On whether Gonzaga has been “unlucky” this season: “There are things in basketball you can control, and there are things you can’t. The game’s always throwing new challenges at you, so you just have to be ready for whatever comes next.”
On comparing this year’s team to previous ones: “This group reminds me a lot of last year’s team. We’ve had to fight for some key wins, and it feels similar to last year. The previous teams had a lot of talent, so it’s tough to compare, but that’s what stands out this year.”
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