One of the best and possibly the best sleeper prospect in the state of Arizona is Gilbert High School's athletically gifted and hard-nosed 6-foot-8 senior forward Spencer Nicolds. Nicolds is a superb athletic talent that has developed a great deal over the past two years, and now has become one of the best kept secrets in Arizona's loaded 2014 class.
Nicolds is the man for a talented Gilbert High School (15-5) team that is loaded with college level basketball talent. His blue-collar style of play combined with a nice overall skill level has made him one the better prospects around, and one of the top sleepers in the West. Nicolds is not a big-time scorer, but he is a talented prospect with excellent versatility and toughness for the wing position.
This senior season, Nicolds has seen his level of college recruitment begin to really take off, as many schools are showing strong interest in the athletic forward. While there remains loads of interest, Nicolds is just waiting for his first nice offer to really see the recruiting interest reach the apex.
Currently, Nicolds is hearing from Utah, Northwestern, Texas-San Antonio, San Diego, Utah State, Air Force, Sacramento State, Portland State, Utah Valley, South Carolina Upsate and Colgate. Nicolds also recently took an unofficial recruiting visit to San Diego's campus.
"I really enjoyed it up there," said Nicolds. "I really like their coaches and the campus."
This year's Arizona Preps Fall Showcase was a coming-out party for Nicolds, who absolutely exploded in this year’s event – proving that he is worthy of serious division-I college recruitment. This young man came into this year’s Fall Showcase as a prospect on the rise after recent strong performances in other local events. By the end of this year’s exhibition, Nicolds had made his stamp on the event and also as a member of the state’s top overall prospects. He would also turn in a very strong performance in the evening’s final event – the Promotion Athletics 2014 Senior All-Star Game. In the game and amidst the state’s top overall prospects, Nicolds was regarded as one of the top overall performers in the game.
Arizona Preps will continue to follow the recruitment of Nicolds throughout the remainder of the high school basketball season - bringing you updates as they begin to develop.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Nicolds is a long and talented prospect that can finesse or overpower opposing players. Nicolds is still developing as a post player, but sees the majority of his time on the wing, as a 3/4 combo that can score in a variety of ways. He is a very active rebounder that rebounds consistently outside of his area, and has good overall quickness to the ball for his size. He has excellent lift off the floor and is an excellent finisher at the rim. Nicolds is a big-time dunker that plays well above the rim. He runs the floor extremely well and is capable of beating most post players up the court. Nicolds is also able to play on the perimeter very well, since before his latest growth spurt, Nicolds primarily saw his time as a point guard – making him very skilled overall as a prospect. Nicolds is a good ball handler that likes to put the basketball on the floor in an attempt to get to the basket and finish. He is a good shooter with range on his shot and also possesses a mid-range game. Nicolds is a strong defender that accepts challenges on the court – often defending the opposing team’s top offensive threat. Nicolds is an active shotblocker and has excellent timing. He quickly has developed into a mid-major plus prospect.
