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Jared Nickens, Freshman, Guard, No. 11
Stats:
Height: 6'7''
Weight: 200 lbs
Twitter: @Jnickens_1227
Collegiate Stats: N/A
Recruiting rankings: Fourth-best player in the state of Pennsylvania, 23rd best small forward in the country, 93rd best player in the country according to 247sports.
Who Maryland beat: Miami, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Penn State and Temple
High School: Westtown School (Norristown, Pa.)
Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J.
How'd He Get to College Park?
Jared Nickens, one of four freshman on Maryland's roster, was originally part of the class of 2013 but reclassified to 2014 to further develop for college recruiting. When he reclassified, he transferred from St. Patrick (NJ) to Westtown (Pa.), where he led the Moose to a 20-6 record including an unblemished 9-0 mark in conference play. He was also high school teammates with Georgios Papiaganos, who had previously considered Maryland before signing professionally in Greece.
Profiling the entire team
Nickens nudged his way into the top 100 after he switched to the Class of 2014. The shooting guard/small forward choose Maryland over high D1 programs like Miami, Providence and Wake Forest.
Career Highlight:
Signing with the Terps.
Dream Season:
Jared Nickens capitalizes on Evan Smotrycz's absence and asserts himself as the sixth man, beating out freshman counterpart Dion Wiley and senior transfer Richaud Pack.
2014 Prospectus:
Nickens has a lot of potential to come in and get quality minutes right away, especially with Smotrycz out for a month or so. The sharp shooting guard could see a lot of time during non-conference play to assimilate him to the speed of college basketball before the Big Ten.
The 6'7'' winger adds a lot of depth to Maryland, with eight guards/forward combos on the roster. Nickens could become a valuable asset to the future of Terps basketball when Dez Wells graduates, if he can assert himself as a quality player in his first year at Maryland.
Up Next:
Up next is a player who played under NBA legend Isaiah Thomas.