Maryland men’s basketball guard Jared Nickens was due for the type of shooting performance he put together in the Terps’ 77-70 win at Michigan on Saturday afternoon. Just ask his teammates and coaches.
“J Nick, he was just locked in,” forward Justin Jackson said. “There was nothing I haven’t seen him do before.”
“Jared’s been doing great in practice for about six weeks,” coach Mark Turgeon added, “and it was a matter of time before he played like that.
Nickens, who made just 26.2 percent of his 3-pointers entering the contest, sank each of his four triples Saturday to finish with a season-high 12 points. His performance from the beyond the arc, which had knocked the 6-foot-7 junior out of the rotation earlier in the season, kept him on the floor against the Wolverines as the Terps bounced back from a home loss to Nebraska with a victory in their first true road game of the season.
He’ll look to build on that outing when Maryland hosts Indiana on Tuesday night.
“It felt really good,” Nickens said. “I was just in a good rhythm. My teammates did a good job finding me, and I just wanted to provide a spark off the bench.”
Nickens came into Saturday having converted his past two attempts from long range, and he wasted little time hoisting another one once he subbed in at about the 13-minute mark of the first half.
Shortly after grabbing a rebound on Michigan’s errant three-point shot, Nickens positioned himself in the right corner to start the offensive possession. He then came off a double screen, received a pass from guard Jaylen Brantley on the right wing, and without hesitating, launched a shot from deep that swished through the net to give Maryland a 17-14 lead.
“The first one felt good,” Nickens said.
Less than three minutes later, Nickens caught the ball on the right wing again. He was farther from the basket this time, but it didn’t matter. He immediately turned toward the hoop and let the ball fly.
Jared Nickens hitting from NBA range, this game has been a pleasant surprise from #11. pic.twitter.com/qOvzQEhvsG
— Terps Watch (@TerpsWatch) January 7, 2017
For much of Nickens’ junior campaign, those long-range shots haven’t fallen through the net. They clanked off the front rim or the back iron, and those misses mentally hindered the Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, native, who said he was “trapped inside his own head.” In practice, the time he could have spent improving on his defensive game was channeled into trying to fix his shooting woes.
Still, those around the program helped Nickens remain upbeat. Turgeon sat down with Nickens, encouraging him to keep working hard despite his in-game struggles. Trimble, who watched Nickens shoot 39 percent from three-point range when they were both freshmen, told him at practice to stop passing up open shots.
“If you’re open, even a little bit open, shoot it,” Trimble remembers telling Nickens. “That’s what you do. You’ve been doing that since you got here.”
With the Terps unable to knock down a field goal to start the second half, Nickens used that advice on his third long ball of the game. After receiving the ball on the right wing, he had a decision to make. Michigan forward Duncan Robinson was sprinting toward him after fighting through a screen.
The ball left Nickens’ hand before Robinson could get a hand in his face and sailed through the hoop, giving the Terps a 41-37 lead and their first basket in 10 possessions.
Nickens’ final bucket, which came from the left corner off a pass from Trimble with less than 11 minutes to play, solidified his first double-digit scoring performance of the season. The Terps needed that production, as Trimble had trouble finding his shot throughout the afternoon. He finished with 13 points on 5 of 15 shooting.
Forward Damonte Dodd, Nickens’ roommate on the road, referred to Nickens’ perfect shooting performance as “big time.” These outings haven’t been as common for Nickens this season, but Saturday’s provided a glimpse into how he can contribute for the Terps as the Big Ten slate progresses.
“I said, ‘Bro, just keep shooting the ball,'” Dodd said Saturday. “‘If you miss everything, just keep shooting the ball because you’re going to find that’s what shooters do.’
“He found it tonight.”