Gonzaga's Ben Gregg on Nolan Hickman's recent stretch: 'He's performing at a high level'
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been on a tear offensively throughout their five-game win streak thanks in large part to Nolan Hickman's assertiveness as a scorer and efficiency from behind the arc.
After going 4-of-8 on 3-point attempts in an 86-65 win at Portland, the junior guard is the first Gonzaga player to knock down four or more triples in three consecutive games since Corey Kispert in the 2020-21 season. Hickman is fourth in the West Coast Conference with 2.3 3-pointers per game and is shooting 51.5% from deep over the last five games. He's averaging 17.2 points in that stretch with a 71.4% true shooting percentage.
“We all know what he’s capable of and you know I think he’s playing more freely and not so caught up in trying to please other people," said Ben Gregg of Hickman's recent stretch of play. "He’s trying to play for himself and he’s performing at a high level and I think he’s going to continue into March.”
Here's more of what Gregg and Hickman had to say following the Bulldogs' win over the Pilots on Thursday:
Gregg on playing in front of his family and friends in his hometown:
“This one was super special for me. I mean I’ve played here before but not to the extent of what I’m doing now, playing more minutes and stuff like that so it’s really special for me. My first college bucket was here so it’ll have a special place in my heart for sure.”
Hickman on Portland's defensive scheme compared to the first matchup:
"Portland, you know, they always have some type of different scheme every game. They try to muck it up, they have different coverages and different players. So we didn’t really quite know what we was getting into but you know we always practice for different schemes anyways so, I feel like we applied it well from practice."
Gregg on Gonzaga's freshmen:
“I can’t imagine the pressure they have. When I was a freshman I did not have that amount of pressure on my shoulders and they’re doing a great job of handling it. You know it’s going to be ups and downs with the confidence but when they’re playing their best and confident, watch out because they’re really special players.”
Hickman on Gregg's impact as a starter:
"Man he’s made such a huge difference. He’s a huge energy starter. It was much needed to throw him in the starting lineup, to get us going … he’s making a huge impact right now."
Gregg on the rematch against Santa Clara on Saturday:
“I just don’t think we were prepared for what they were going to do to us physically, how physical they were and we weren’t prepared for that. [The coaching staff] told us, but watching film and then getting out there are two totally different things so now we got a good feel for how physical they are and how hard they play. We just got to match that and I think we’ll be OK.”
