By Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
Millbrook native Jon-Michael Nickerson, a 2003 graduate of Stanhope Elmore High School, recently won his 200th career game as a boy’s high school basketball coach in the state of Georgia in his 9th year of coaching. The milestone comes a season after winning his first state championship at Sandy Creek High School, a public school in Tyrone, Georgia, that competes in Class 3A in the Georgia High School Athletic Association.
Despite the lower classification, the Patriots frequently compete in early season matches against the best competition in the state of Georgia, and even the southeast. Heading into January, the 2023-2024 Patriots team is 10-2, to include wins over three teams in Georgia’s highest classification (Buford, East Coweta, and Milton) and a one-point loss to Class 7A power Grayson High.
The Patriots most recently competed in a National Invitational Tournament in Arkansas, where they went 2-1, to include a win over Pinson Valley, a 6A school in Alabama, despite playing without Micah Smith, one of the team’s top players that will play basketball next season at James Madison University, a Division 1 team that is currently undefeated and ranked #20 in the nation.
One of the leading scorers on the current James Madison University team is TJ Bickerstaff, a Sandy Creek alum that Nickerson coached for several seasons. Bickerstaff contributed to a significant number of Nickerson’s 200 victories.
Another impressive former pupil of Nickerson and alumni of Sandy Creek is Washington State freshman Myles Rice, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in December and was the team’s leading scorer through the first seven games of the season.
Rice played on the same Sandy Creek team as Jabari Smith, who went on to star at Auburn and is currently in his second season playing for the Houston Rockets in the NBA.
The Patriots’ coach enjoys keeping up with the accomplishments of the former Sandy Creek athletes that have moved on after high school. “I tell them the brutal truths when they are here so if they’re actually open to growing and being coached hard then it’s no surprise that they move on and have such great success. Being a small part of their lives during such an influential time of their life is the most gratifying part of it all,” said Nickerson.
And while the school has seen many athletes move on to play college and professionally, Nickerson believes the winning culture is a combination of several different factors.
“First is holding on to your talent. A lot of coaches try and pluck our talent away but we’ve proven we can develop, win, and get them next level opportunities they deserve. You can’t have a culture without talent. The second factor is holding every single person accountable at a high standard, including myself.
“The third factor is looking the part. I don’t believe a coach should demand and get on kids about how they need to work extra, and lift, and do all the little things to be great at the game if they don’t emulate a similar work ethic.
“Finally, I think a big factor is breeding competition. When I got here this place had talent, but everyone knew they’d fold when it got tough. These dudes are mentally, emotionally, & physically tough now. It took years to get it to this point.”
The current Patriots team is ranked #1 in Class 3A, and MaxPreps ranks Sandy Creek #40 in the entire nation. With a strong group of underclassmen, the possibility exists for Sandy Creek to contend for state championships for the next several years. Still, the Millbrook native is not ruling out a return to his home state at some point down the road.
“Yes, I can see myself returning to Alabama at some point. Bottom line is if my family is all for it and we know we can be happy, we will go wherever. As long as we are all together it will always be home to me no matter where we live. But yes I would love to return to Alabama under the right circumstances.”
