Nickelberry makes name for himself
• The Northwood Temple freshman is averaging 14 points per game.
By Bret Strelow FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER Staff writer
Years ago, Josh Nickelberry struck up the nerve to break difficult news to his father.
Nickelberry told Gerald, who had been an award-winning college linebacker at Northern Illinois, that he wanted to focus on basketball instead of football.
“The last year he played 9-10 youth football, he won a championship,” Nickelberry’s father recalled. “He said, ‘Dad, I like football, but that was your thing. I like your stories, but I want to play basketball.’ He thought he was going to hurt my feelings.”
With early recruiting interest from several power conference schools, including members of the ACC, Nickelberry appears to have a bright future in basketball. A 6-foot-4 freshman guard who turns 15 in March, he is averaging approximately 14 points per game in his second season with Northwood Temple Academy’s varsity team.
Nickelberry already has taken unofficial visits to N.C. State, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgetown and VCU. He’s considered one of the top Class of 2019 prospects in the state.
“I just try to keep getting better,” he said. “The work I put in, when I show it on the court, it makes me feel like it’s paying off.”
Nickelberry averaged double-figure points last season as an eighth-grade student making his varsity debut, and a 42-point game while playing summer basketball for Team Loaded at the AAU nationals in Orlando, Florida, raised his profile.
Nickelberry possesses deep range and a soft touch on his jumper, as he proved while scoring 19 points and grabbing five rebounds last week in a loss to Raleigh’s Word of God, which has a pair of talented senior guards in UNC-Wilmington signee Jaylen Fornes and Jalen Harris. Nickelberry uses his long frame to his advantage as an offensive rebounder, and he also has put in work to improve as a defender.
He leads coach Chris Lattimer’s team in deflections.
“I just do what my coach tells me to do and play my heart out every game,” Nickelberry said.
When Nickelberry’s mother was stationed at Fort Bragg, Gerald moved from Chicago to Fayetteville, taking a job related to health care and social work. His four children play four different sports, with Nickelberry excelling now at basketball instead of football, wrestling or volleyball.
With above-average height, speed and hands, Nickelberry was a star wide receiver in youth football, but he had a passion for hoops.
“At 9 years old, he had a work ethic many adults would dream of,” Gerald said. “He would knock on my door every Saturday morning every time he got a chance, wanting to go to the gym.”
Northwood Temple, the alma mater of current Clemson center Sidy Djitte, has a 6-9 senior in Armel TeTe. Lattimer’s roster includes several young players with promise, including Nickelberry, sophomore point guard Dakari Johnson and freshman Max Farthing.
Unlike some high-level prospects, Nickelberry hasn’t reclassified and benefited from facing younger competition. His production comes primarily against older players.
“I watch him play, and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, a 14-yearold just made that play,’ ” Lattimer said.
Postseason play began this week for Northwood Temple, and Nickelberry has three full seasons of high school basketball left. It’s too early for the pitches from college coaches or the unofficial campus visits to make a lasting impact, and future decisions will be driven by more than just basketball.
Nickelberry, who carries a 3.8 GPA, talks about one day attending Harvard Law School or earning an MBA. He attempts to maintain a level-headed approach even though he’s receiving lots of attention early in his prep career.
“I’ve been playing against older people all my life,” Nickelberry said. “I just try to play the same against anybody that steps in front of me.”
• The Northwood Temple freshman is averaging 14 points per game.
By Bret Strelow FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER Staff writer
Years ago, Josh Nickelberry struck up the nerve to break difficult news to his father.
Nickelberry told Gerald, who had been an award-winning college linebacker at Northern Illinois, that he wanted to focus on basketball instead of football.
“The last year he played 9-10 youth football, he won a championship,” Nickelberry’s father recalled. “He said, ‘Dad, I like football, but that was your thing. I like your stories, but I want to play basketball.’ He thought he was going to hurt my feelings.”
With early recruiting interest from several power conference schools, including members of the ACC, Nickelberry appears to have a bright future in basketball. A 6-foot-4 freshman guard who turns 15 in March, he is averaging approximately 14 points per game in his second season with Northwood Temple Academy’s varsity team.
Nickelberry already has taken unofficial visits to N.C. State, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgetown and VCU. He’s considered one of the top Class of 2019 prospects in the state.
“I just try to keep getting better,” he said. “The work I put in, when I show it on the court, it makes me feel like it’s paying off.”
Nickelberry averaged double-figure points last season as an eighth-grade student making his varsity debut, and a 42-point game while playing summer basketball for Team Loaded at the AAU nationals in Orlando, Florida, raised his profile.
Nickelberry possesses deep range and a soft touch on his jumper, as he proved while scoring 19 points and grabbing five rebounds last week in a loss to Raleigh’s Word of God, which has a pair of talented senior guards in UNC-Wilmington signee Jaylen Fornes and Jalen Harris. Nickelberry uses his long frame to his advantage as an offensive rebounder, and he also has put in work to improve as a defender.
He leads coach Chris Lattimer’s team in deflections.
“I just do what my coach tells me to do and play my heart out every game,” Nickelberry said.
When Nickelberry’s mother was stationed at Fort Bragg, Gerald moved from Chicago to Fayetteville, taking a job related to health care and social work. His four children play four different sports, with Nickelberry excelling now at basketball instead of football, wrestling or volleyball.
With above-average height, speed and hands, Nickelberry was a star wide receiver in youth football, but he had a passion for hoops.
“At 9 years old, he had a work ethic many adults would dream of,” Gerald said. “He would knock on my door every Saturday morning every time he got a chance, wanting to go to the gym.”
Northwood Temple, the alma mater of current Clemson center Sidy Djitte, has a 6-9 senior in Armel TeTe. Lattimer’s roster includes several young players with promise, including Nickelberry, sophomore point guard Dakari Johnson and freshman Max Farthing.
Unlike some high-level prospects, Nickelberry hasn’t reclassified and benefited from facing younger competition. His production comes primarily against older players.
“I watch him play, and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, a 14-yearold just made that play,’ ” Lattimer said.
Postseason play began this week for Northwood Temple, and Nickelberry has three full seasons of high school basketball left. It’s too early for the pitches from college coaches or the unofficial campus visits to make a lasting impact, and future decisions will be driven by more than just basketball.
Nickelberry, who carries a 3.8 GPA, talks about one day attending Harvard Law School or earning an MBA. He attempts to maintain a level-headed approach even though he’s receiving lots of attention early in his prep career.
“I’ve been playing against older people all my life,” Nickelberry said. “I just try to play the same against anybody that steps in front of me.”
