Malcolm Nicholas III
 

What follows is an interesting story regarding a 2017 recruit named Malcolm Nicholas who is quite closely connected to Anthony Grant.

He is a big guard at 6-5 that has a lot of programs interested but not a lot of offers and very little info:

Profile: http://247sports.com/Recruitment/Mal...cruitInterests
Highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUhDdEL326E
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gods_gift_2017_?lang=en

I did a little digging on this guy and while I still really have no idea whether or not he can actually play, his background is pretty interesting stuff. Let's start around 1987, Grant's first year post UD, as a coach at Miami High School, where he had starred years earlier. In 1987 Malcolm Nicholas III was a couple of years away from even being born, but his father Malcolm Nicholas was starring at Miami High School. Following graduation in 1988, Malcolm Nicholas would go on to Florida State where he played in all of 6 games:
http://www.nolefan.org/ath/a00199.html

I'm not sure if he transferred or what but after college evidently Nicholas followed in Anthony Grant and Frank Martin's footsteps by returning to Miami High to be an assistant coach. Here's a very long article from the Miami New Times published in 1998 that investigates whether or not Miami High was recruiting players under Frank Martin (Grant had since left for the college ranks): http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/dream-team-6378922 It's fairly interesting as it involves some big names - Udonis Haslem, Steve Blake, Kevin Garnett, and interestingly enough midway through the story mentions assistant coach Malcolm Nicholas and his mom, Roma Nicholas, who somehow was listed as mom to a Miami High player.

Anyway, fast forward to today and Malcolm Nicholas is now an assistant principal at Miami High School. His son, Malcolm Nicholas III (the one Dayton is apparently "recruiting") starred as a basketball player at Miami High just like he did, and just like Anthony Grant did years earlier though it appears the youngest Nicholas transferred to finish out his HS days at Mater Academy.

Nicholas, the recruit, may or may not have any committable offers (no idea), but he has taken at least one unofficial visit that I know of... and guess where? He visited South Carolina because of course, Frank Martin. https://twitter.com/prephoopsfl/stat...78763060039680

So that's the story of Malcolm Nicholas III, and should he ever find his way to UD, Archdeacon will no doubt tell it much better than I!

He had VMI looking at him early in February.

At one point Depaul, Creighton & UConn were supposed to be looking at him

Awesome post at a time where the site could use it.

First team all Dade County with 21ppg 11rpg 5asp. Not much I could find on the internet but he's listed as combo guard. He played with former 5 star UConn/St Johns commit Zach Brown at Miami before he transferred

Combo guard is exactly what we need.

Any kind of guard is what we need.

Per twitter Illinois Chicago & a d2 are working him out
Posted via Mobile Device

The D2 is Lincoln Memorial. Not the statue. Not a high school. But an actual college in Tennessee allegedly. The Railsplitters!

Right on the other side of the Cumberland Gap from Middlesboro Kentucky
Posted via Mobile Device

Lincoln Memorial was in D2 final four this year.

No updates on Nicholas, but was checking on another kid down in South Florida and saw something I overlooked earlier that is worth noting here. When I mentioned above that Nicholas transferred to Mater Academy, I didn't realize who the coach there is. It is none other than the fabled Shaky Rodriguez, who famously coached and mentored both Frank Martin and Anthony Grant. So that explains why Nicholas transferred for his senior year and further explains why Dayton was listed as having interest in him. Given that Grant coached Nicholas' father and was coached himself by Nicholas' coach (Grant and Shaky still very close per Archdeacon), you would expect the prospects of this kid coming to Dayton have at least been discussed amongst this circle of old friends.

Anyway, adding that note mostly because it's interesting to me to learn that Shaky is STILL coaching. I assumed he had long retired. But Mater Academy has some players, and it wouldn't surprise me to see guys from that program make their way to UD in the coming years.

Former South Florida high school basketball star Malcolm Nicholas III was shot and killed Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...184484233.html

Sorry to hear. Prayers for him and his family, and that justice may be done.
Posted via Mobile Device