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Princeton's run especially meaningful for Radnor's Hicke

03/21/2023, 12:45pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

Jackson Hicke couldn’t believe his eyes. 

The Radnor senior forward had been getting updates during a state playoff practice last Thursday, but knew that Princeton was trailing in the second half of its opening-round NCAA Tournament game against Arizona. By the time he got home, the gap was shrinking, but he still wasn’t ready for what came next.

“By the time we finished there was probably about eight minutes left in the second half and Princeton was down eight, I want to say,” Hicke said by phone Monday afternoon. “So I drove home real quick, got back, they were down probably five-ish and they started to come back.”


Jackson Hicke (above) is one of five high school seniors committed to play at Princeton this fall. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Hicke was comfortably home by the time Ryan Langborg put 15th-seeded Princeton on top with two minutes left, then had to sweat out a few missed shots by the second-seeded Wildcats before the Tigers finally secured the 59-55 win, one of the biggest upsets of the tournament’s first round.

“I was with my family in the living room watching, and everyone was going nuts,” he said. “Then they sealed it to win [...] It was exciting, it was so awesome to see just people I know and [will] be future teammates with succeed at that big of a stage — for the coaches, for the school, it was amazing to watch. It was so exciting, it was an awesome upset.”

Of course, March Madness upsets hit a little harder when it’s more than just a rooting interest — for Hicke, he was watching his future teammates live out their dreams. For Hicke won’t just be attending Princeton in the fall, he’ll be doing it as a member of the Tigers’ basketball program, where he’ll suddenly be joining a group that’s going to be one of the most talked-about in the country over the next week. 

“Obviously I’m a big fan of them now, since I’m going to play there next year,” he said, “but it [also] helped me out in some bracket pools, of course I had to pick them.”

The run wasn’t over yet.

Though Hicke’s Friday night was a major disappointment, his Radnor squad losing to Ryan in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA 5A tournament, Saturday provided a nice boost. Princeton cruised to a 78-63 win over seventh-seeded Missouri, going up seven points at half on the SEC squad and then pulling away over the course of the second half, going up as many as 21 with less than five minutes remaining, an absolute romp into the Sweet 16.

Hicke said he watched the game with several of his Radnor teammates, including classmate Cooper Mueller, a Princeton lacrosse commit. 

“Definitely made me feel a little better to see them get another win, keep their season alive,” he said. “It was awesome to say they’re one of the 16 teams left in America, left standing, and I’ll be there next year.”

Princeton’s into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1966-67, when they lost in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina, 78-70. The coach that year, Butch van Breda Kolff, left Princeton after that season — to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

It’s not that Hicke wasn’t already joining a quality basketball program: the Tigers have long been one of the Ivy League powerhouses, with 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 1965 and five other Sweet 16 appearances. But it’s been a while since they were this relevant on a national stage, joining a group of underdogs who’ve pulled off some major upsets in March Madness over the last few years.

Princeton will graduate some of its key pieces after this season, including senior forward Tosan Evboumwan (14.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Langborg (12.3 ppg), their two leading scorers, plus starting center Keeshawn Kellman (8.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg). But the rest of the rotation returns, including standout freshman Caden Pierce (8.3 ppg), junior wing Matt Allocco (10.8 ppg), and sophomore Blake Peters (5.9 ppg).

“It was just like, this’ll be you in a few years, and we hope we go back there,” he said. “That’s such an amazing memory, not only just to win in the tournament, just to even be there. So yeah they were definitely excited, staying in the present for sure, but in the future, I hope I can get back there with them.

“There’s the one interview of Blake Peters just being like ‘anything is possible,’ and it’s cliche but it really does hold true,” Hicke added. “If you get one [win], you’re on a roll, and I think it’s just cool just to imagine going there and feeling that you really can compete and win a game. I think it’s all about your mindset and they pulled it off, and it’s great to see.”

Princeton’s NCAA Tournament will continue on Friday night against No. 6 seed Creighton (23-12) at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, tipoff scheduled for 9 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

That gives Hicke a few days to walk around Radnor High School wearing nothing but orange and black, eager to see if his future teammates can pull off another upset, to advance to play either top-seeded Alabama or fifth-seeded San Diego State in Sunday’s Elite 8.

“Yeah,” he said, “got my whole Princeton wardrobe lined out for the week.”


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