Charlotte Observer Hints Hickson Going Pro

Here’s the full article. Key excerpt:

“Coach is a great man,” Hickson said. “When I came to this program, it was more like he cared about J.J. as the person rather than J.J. the basketball player. I think he does have my best interests at heart. If me and my family feel like it’s comfortable and I should go to a team that needs me, then make the decision.”

Lowe, who coached 15 NBA seasons before coming to N.C. State, said he will wish Hickson well if he decides to leave.

Reading between the lines – Hickson is leaving, and Sid (with JJ’s help) is framing it in the best possible light, hoping to attract other high profile recruits with NBA dreams. FWIW, everything that SFN has heard is consistent with Hickson going pro. You should have no real hope, and certainly no expectation, of Hickson returning for his sophomore season.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

07-08 Basketball NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe

84 Responses to Charlotte Observer Hints Hickson Going Pro

  1. Noah 03/14/2008 at 12:41 PM #

    Good luck, JJ. I’d want to be as far away as possible from this team too.

  2. Classof89 03/14/2008 at 12:58 PM #

    preseason, any reason we won’t be the unanimous pick for 12th in the ACC? I sure don’t see one…

  3. Mike 03/14/2008 at 1:08 PM #

    People keep pointing to Costner as the reason to go. There is huge difference (pun not intended, but hey it fits) between Hickson and Costner. Costner had no chance of going pro last year.

    Hickson would be well served to stay another year, but sometimes logic is trumped by money. Unfortauntely there are countless stories of guys going early and ending up nowhere. To say he will make a bunch of money in the D league – think again. All the guys in the D league are good ballplayers, and most could play in the NBA IF they get the right chance. The issue is getting the right chance. A couple years in the D league guarantees nothing, and soon you are forgotten about.

    I am not trying to knock JJ, but going against guys like Shaq, Garnett, Dwight Howard, and some other very athletic, strong big men, he will be eaten alive, kicked to the curb, and there will be no big money. The key to NBA marginal players is the 2nd contract, and many of those guys never see it. I wish JJ well, but he really needs another year in school to avoid the D league.

  4. Noah 03/14/2008 at 1:12 PM #

    I don’t think anyone disagrees that Hickson NEEDS more time. Well, other than Hickson, that is.

  5. wufpup76 03/14/2008 at 1:12 PM #

    Good luck and God Bless … Thank you for your efforts this past season JJ Hickson

    Too bad it had to be a season like that, but I am glad you were here and hope it was an overall good experience for you …

    Things that sold me on JJ Hickson being a really good young man:

    First – Something I saw in person; It was pregame for one of the early season games, and the team had been called to the locker room for the final time … JJ was the last player to head toward the tunnel, and as usual there was a kid there trying to get a “five” from the players … JJ didn’t see this particular kid, but something got his attention and JJ made a point of coming back out of the tunnel just to give this young kid a “five” … I was really impressed that he just didn’t ignore the kid and run on into the locker room

    Second – the article describing how his Mother died when he was 12 … He was raised by his Grandmother and has a work ethic second to none … Up everyday for 6am workouts no matter what regardless of whether he was alone in doing it

    Any program would benefit from people like JJ Hickson, whether they stay one year or 4 years … His prescence in the lineup could have caused some disruption in the team dynamic, but I put that more on his “teammates” (if that’s what you want to call them) than Hickson … I think he could benefit individually from another season, but totally understand his going … GOOD LUCK 🙂

  6. BoKnowsNCS71 03/14/2008 at 1:22 PM #

    Whatever his choice — he will be miserable because of a lack of playing time.

    If we assume his talent to be similar to that of say UNX player Brandon Wright (who went high in the first round last year) then he can expect the same fate as Wright who is sitting on the bench most of the time in Seattle.

    I know Brandon’s high school coach and he said Wright’s choice to go early was due to family and financial decisions – but that Wright is really regretting going early and just watching this year rather than playing. Brandon got a fat pay check but JJ as a second rounder won’t get a big pay check.

    My belief is that he should come back for one more year, bulk up some, hone his skills, and go for a higher first round spot.

  7. sautz 03/14/2008 at 1:40 PM #

    Costner absolutely had a chance at getting drafted last year:
    “Costner had himself a great season last year, emerging under the national spotlight late in the season, and moving his way up the draft boards of many NBA teams.”
    http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Brandon-Costner-547/

    Here was some guys draft with him going 1st round 2007:
    http://veganfishtacos.wordpress.com/2007/12/11/a-different-kind-of-nba-mock-draft/

    Here is a mock 2009 draft with Costner going in 2nd round:
    http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba/nba-draft/kicksvibe/lance-s-2009-nba-mock-draft-ar46529.html

  8. wayofthemaster 03/14/2008 at 1:43 PM #

    Off the subject, but thought it was relevant to discussion of next year’s team.

    Copied and pasted from Carteret County News-Times.

    BY J.J. SMITH
    NEWS-TIMES
    MOREHEAD CITY — N.C. State freshman Johnny Thomas, a former Carteret County News-Times Player of the Year in boys basketball, is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from a knee injury suffered in September.
    “It’s coming along pretty good actually,” said Thomas in a phone interview. I’ve been running for about three or four weeks now.”
    Thomas was diagnosed with an osteochondral defect in his knee, causing the cartilage to become brittle and break free due to a lack of blood flow, after injuring the knee while playing pickup basketball.
    The former West Carteret Patriots star has not sulked after suffering the injury, but has used the time to focus on academics.
    “I was disappointed when I got injured but I know that everything happens for a purpose,” said Thomas. “There have been times when it’s been frustrating, but I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ve allowed it to get me down. I’m focusing on getting the job done academically.”
    Thomas registered a 2.9 grade-point average during the fall semester and is close to a 4.0 this spring.
    “I’m planning on majoring in sports management, because I want to be an agent,” said Thomas. “I plan on attending both summer sessions, because I want to graduate in three years and come back and major in business.”
    When Thomas isn’t hitting the books, he’s adapting to the life of an injured player in Division I college basketball.
    “I rehab everyday and then go watch practice, and it’s a day-by-day process,” said Thomas. “I actually think that the injury has helped me to sit back and learn the plays from the bench and how to react in certain situations. It’s also helped me to get used to the ACC environment. I’ve grown accustomed to it now.”
    The 2004-2005 News-Times Player of the Year averaged 23.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in his last year for the Patriots.
    The Morehead City native chose to transfer to Greensboro Day High School – a college preparatory independent school that boasts a 100 percent college acceptance rate – to experience a tougher academic and basketball environment after his junior year at West.
    Thomas native led Greensboro Day to a 32-2 record and the NCISAA 3A state championship in 2006 and averaged 19.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, while leading the team to a 31-2 record in 2007 and a runner-up finish in the state title game.
    Thomas, who received a medical redshirt this season, is the first male basketball player from Carteret County to play in the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference since Robert McLean graduated from West Carteret in 1965 and went on to play for legendary coaches Press Maravich and Norm Sloan with the Wolfpack.
    N.C. State’s disappointing season came to an end yesterday with a 63-50 loss to Miami in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
    The Wolfpack, who were predicted to finish third in the conference by the ACC media and began the season ranked No. 24 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Poll, ended the season in last place in league play with a 4-12 record to go along with a 15-16 overall record.

  9. mwcric 03/14/2008 at 1:44 PM #

    Situation reminds me a lot of Josh Powell. Same type of game, though obviously Hickson was a way better freshman than Powell (whether that was due to talent or the system in place is debatable). Powell is in year three or four of the NBA and is finally getting some minutes for the Clippers – although only because of injuries. Still, he’s putting up fair numbers, and even got a double-double last week, I believe. I can kind of see the same thing happening with Hickson. I doubt he’ll make big bucks, but you’ve got to remember that the minimum salary for NBA rookies next year is $442,114. Then, in 2010-2011, the minimum salary for a third-year player will be $854,389. That’s not bad for riding the bench, provided he can stick around.

  10. sautz 03/14/2008 at 1:51 PM #

    Also, the comparison to Costner is not that much of him losing whatever draft status he had, but how much worse both him and McCauley played this year. I realize this coaching regime is new but I have not only not seen player development since the off season but player regression. JJ Hickson could actually get worse if he stays, not better.

  11. Howler 03/14/2008 at 1:59 PM #

    Maybe JJ can end up on the same team with Ced Simmons and Josh Powell. That would be a devastating NBA frontcourt, featuring the only Pack players in the NBA…….. I mean devastating to the fans of that team of course.

  12. ShootingGuard 03/14/2008 at 2:01 PM #

    WOW!

    I love the conspiracy theories about how Sid purposely ruined the sure ascent from 5 game ACC winner to national championship contender by purposely highlighting JJ at the destruction of Ben and BC and how JJ was in on this as well because he hates puppies and what not just like Sid.

    (Funny, Herb told every recruit in AAU ball he was going to run Pitino’s fast paced offense, but all of the top recruits laughed at him. Then he promised Damien Wilkins the world on the recruiting trail—at the later expense of Tim Wells. Then, he promised Julius Hodge he would be Reggie Jackson at the expense of Josh Powell…Hmmm, James Harden at the expense of Eric Boetang?)

    State fans said they wanted better than 4th place and early exits from the NCAA’s, maybe even an ACC Title sometime. How in the hell do you do that without upgrading the talent level? Say what you want to say about JJ and his motives, but the guy brought the effort every game whether he started or not—which is more than you can say about the entitlement crowd who put their minutes and shots above winning. It is a shame for JJ that he couldn’t have come in with a point guard at least on the level of a Bobby Frasor who obviously has way more “character quotient” than anyone State has recruited in years because Bobby apparently loved beating State when he was a starter and remained happy to beat them when he was recruited over and had to come off the bench behind Ty Lawson.

    State is paying the price for running off a mediocre coach without having a competent AD in place to replace the old coach with said buffoon of an AD running a catastrophe of a coaching search which left recruits to develop relationships elsewhere before the absolute last choice of a replacement finally took the job.

    Why anyone even bothers discussing Lowe until after Fowler is fired is beyond me. Lowe’s competence or incompetence is irrelevant as he was the only guy who would take the job. If you leave Fowler in place, who is next on LF’s coach list? Justin Gainey? Archie Miller? Maybe Julius Hodge or Josh Powell are through dominating in the pros and would like a new challenge…

    If Lowe doesn’t sign a monster class in November, he should head back to the pros himself because the backbiting going forward will be ridiculous.

    It is sad to see a legend who actually gave State fans one of the two main pieces to base their historic expectations on be torn apart so badly.

    I blame that on Lee Fowler—Sid doesn’t get the job if Fowler had anyone anywhere who respected him enough to have taken the job before Sid stepped in to try to save the day.

  13. DRW 03/14/2008 at 2:03 PM #
  14. Sweet jumper 03/14/2008 at 2:06 PM #

    Good post Shooting guard.

  15. marybethrizalucy 03/14/2008 at 2:20 PM #

    Love it Shooting guard!

  16. SuperStuff 03/14/2008 at 2:33 PM #

    What was weird about Powell was the fact that he was a good student in the classroom. I felt like that was something important to him and that he would have stayed in school. Unfortunately as many players did under Herb they had no respect for him and wanted out. If Powell had stayed one more year we probably finish 1st in the ACC instead of 2nd and he’s a high first round draft pick. If only….

  17. Mr O 03/14/2008 at 2:37 PM #

    Damn, I was hoping to hear something different from you guys about JJ. My dad(UVa alum) and I were talking on the way to Charlotte yesterday about JJ going pro. He didn’t think it was going to happen simply based on not being all that dominant in the 2nd half of the ACC season. I had started thinking the same thing, but then he goes for 27 and 14(or whatever it was) and he again looked like a top NBA prospect.

    If he is barely a 1st round pick, then I think you could argue that coming back could make sense. However, what makes sense to me isn’t important and that is one of the first things you have to realize when talking about whether a kid should go pro.

    Choppack brings up an interesting question in regards to was it worth it? Time will only tell and we certainly could have sucked this year even worst without him. Relying on Costner and McCauley, neither of which is even a decent ACC player now, could have been even a bigger disaster.

    I am sorry to hear he is leaving, but he was a pleasure to watch all season and I am glad to have at least one reason to maybe watch a few NBA games in the future.

  18. ldr of pk 75 03/14/2008 at 2:53 PM #

    JJ may well turn out to be a tremendous talent in the NBA, but it ain’t happenin’ anytime soon. For all the hype and early season swoons over his ability, reality set in. He was average at best when the real season started against the big boys. I just don’t understand how with so much talent, there was no better relationship among this group of players. Bilas had it right when he said a couple of times, “they don’t even look like they like each other”. A coach has to stem that tide at some point. JJ will be a player to be reckoned with in the NBA, I just hate the toll it seems to have taken on our program. With the possible exception of Football (TOB is the real deal)we are abosolutely in shambles atheleticly at NCSU. Oh for an AD shake up like happened at Nebraska. It might take them awhile to right their ship, but at least the administration had the balls to say, by God, enough is enough. Our folks keep lolly gaggin’ around because they have the faithful by the cods with LTR’s and WPC membership. Worse, a good handful of the “super moneyed” and other Raleigh locals are catered to constantly, so there’s no real urgency to change the status quo. They don’t run their businesses like that, but this is entertainment, and they are being entertained. Kind of like the “Emperors Club”, they must be getting their backs scratched a bit.

  19. Cardiac95 03/14/2008 at 3:03 PM #

    I continue to be amazed at how the NBA is so willing to throw draft money at propects based almost entirely on potential. Hickson was hardly a force in the ACC this year… but did make the All-Frosh Team… and that somehow lands him an NBA contract?

    Somewhere, Damon Thornton must be wondering what on earth has happened since 1997.

  20. tommy 03/14/2008 at 3:20 PM #

    The nba is killing college basketball. Players should be 21 and have completed three years of school. That would leave only one year of school left. If you come to college you should make a strong commitment to your school. For every player that leaves school early he has taken the place of a student who may have stayed four years and graduated.

  21. McPete 03/14/2008 at 3:26 PM #

    ” Hickson was hardly a force in the ACC this year”

    He finished the year 11th in the acc in scoring, 1st in field goal %, 2nd in rebounding, and 6th in blocked shots. he was our leading scorer, despite facing constant double teams all season long. was he really supposed to do? score 30 a game, when the rest of your teammates on offense are standing around barely occupying his man? he was a great freshman, and runner up for acc ROY.

  22. roandaddy 03/14/2008 at 3:29 PM #

    This could be its own post.. but I feel college basketball has gone WAY DOWN HILL since the 80’s. Used to be rare for a player to leave their junior year (ala M Jordan), but I think it was Kenny Anderson who really opened the flood gates of kids going pro.

    My big beef is that the rivalries are truly hurt now. Used be you hated Bobby Hurley b/c he was at Duke what seemed forever. You used to know the names of the players on other teams, knew their faults, and you loved to HATE them.

    Now.. I asked a UNX fan the name of someone on their 2005 team, he couldn’t remember. With the current “one and done” system… basically a player starts the year on the bench, gets time with the weak games, by the 3rd conference game is a starter and by the last conference game is fielding NBA questions. Its so hard to love a team b/c the players will all be gone next season, its more like you the logo.

  23. Ismael 03/14/2008 at 3:54 PM #

    big ups roandaddy

  24. westwolf 03/14/2008 at 4:12 PM #

    If JJ, all other players, and the entire coaching staff returns, and we run the same offense and defense, and the staff runs the program the same way they did this year (practices, conditioning etc)then I predict we will end up near last place again. The extraordinary talents of Mays/Degand/Williams taken into account as well.

  25. redfred2 03/14/2008 at 4:23 PM #

    “It’s worth noting here that Coach Lowe’s master plan in recruiting ‘07 was bag JJ and feature him in an offense RUN by Chris Wright. We all know how that worked out.”

    vtpackfan, THANKS for pointing that out again. That is something that even I forget, and I had a big theory on how Sidney was planning to announce Chris Wright on team day. But as was rummored later on, Lowe was left standing at the alter when Wright changed horses on the very eve of that announcement and Lowe’s first recruiting splash, as well as his plans for the talent he had in mind, never got off the ground.

    “I don’t think anyone disagrees that Hickson NEEDS more time. Well, other than Hickson, that is.”

    Noah, good to hear you say that, but I don’t know if I wouldn’t switch and counter you on this particular situation myself. I’d love for JJ to come back, and he would benefit more time playing on this level, but maybe not so much where he is. Something must happen with these coaches, and very rapidly, because things just aren’t looking very promising in Raleigh right now.

    Also, about players stick around and develop into great college BB players, and even later NBA players, that does still happen, it’s just that every kid is encouraged to go, go, go, before they take the to develop the necessary skills. Oh, and don’t forget, like someone said earlier on this thread, and like someone always has to say, they shouldn’t take the risk learning how to really play the game of BB in ‘normal’ progression through the different skill levels, they may get hurt doing that. So just skip it and take the money, you may not ever catch up or even be a good professional BB battling against far the superior talent up there, but what the hell, you signed into Da League Man. That what it be all about.

    Go ahead JJ, you’re not ready, and you will fade right into a whole host of nameless journeymen who go from here to there, searching for a home in the NBA. You’ll also fade just as quickly off of my radar screen.

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