University of North Carolina Athletics
CAROLINA: The Prophecy of Isaiah
October 7, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NOTE: This article appeared in the October 7 issue of CAROLINA.
by Michael Melvin
CHAPEL HILL—When North Carolina's men's basketball team traveled to play a pair of August exhibition games in the Bahamas, not many fans would have been able to predict what would be one of the more shocking takeaways from the trip. While the Tar Heels return four of their top six scorers from a season ago, none of them led the team in scoring in either of the contests in Paradise Island. Instead, the guy who averaged just 1.2 points and 7.3 minutes a game in 2013-14 took the reins to lead the team in scoring. That guy is sophomore Isaiah Hicks.
Hicks is coming off a freshman season that consisted primarily of quiet contributions mainly on the defensive side of the court in relief of J.P. Tokoto and Carolina's other small forwards. The Oxford native entered Chapel Hill as a highly-touted power forward (he earned AP High School Player of the Year honors in North Carolina), but he spent little time playing that position in the Smith Center last season.
There was a need for depth at small forward, and because of his athleticism and ability, Hicks made the switch away from his natural, post-move heavy, rebound-driven position and into a more outside-shooting, perimeter-defensive role.
"I took it as a learning thing," said Hicks, "Everything Coach (Roy Williams) does is to help me, and he added some perimeter game to my game, so it is an advantage I now have over regular forwards."
In selfless fashion, Hicks fought through the awkwardness of changing his style and matching the speed of the college game to do all he could to give Carolina a boost off the bench. Spending time at the three allowed him to fine tune many of the skills not typically natural to a power forward. "When they changed me last year, it helped me add more parts to my game," said Hicks. "It will help me improve more at the four spot with quickness, shooting and outside help."
Entering this season, the loss of starting power forward James Michael McAdoo and the entrance of freshman wings Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson has opened room for Hicks to switch back to his natural power forward position. If his performance in the Bahamas is any indication of his progress over the summer, he has certainly hit the ground running.
"I feel more comfortable out there. Last year I was rushing with nervousness, and this year I just take my time and execute," said Hicks. "At the three, it was just some offensive rebounding, but now I have to be getting out there and boxing out, rebounding, helping on defense, and blocking shots. The defensive side will be the biggest change from last year."
Against the Providence Storm and the Bahamas All-Stars, Hicks tallied 11 and 19 points respectively to lead the team with 30 total points in the two games. It wasn't that Hicks did anything drastically different in those games, but rather it was a sign of the maturity and growth he has had with the position change and a year under his belt.
"All I did was run the floor, cut to open spots and do what Coach wanted me to do. The easiest way to get out on the court is to do what Coach says," said Hicks. "Just knowing what is expected and what Coach wants and being more comfortable at the position means I will be able to get out there and perform and execute."
During last Friday's Late Night with Roy scrimmage, Hicks displayed both his natural power forward instincts—posting up and backing down a defender before scoring— and his more contemporary perimeter play— sinking a baseline jumper.
The brink of a new season at a new (old) position has Hicks poised for a breakout sophomore campaign, and the emergence of a new nickname coined by strength & conditioning coordinator Jonas Sahratian and senior forward Jackson Simmons could help bring a new identity to "The Prophet Isaiah." It is safe to say that the Isaiah Hicks that puts a Carolina jersey back on in just under a month will be very different than the freshman small forward fans saw a year ago.
