Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
Millbrook native, and Stanhope Elmore High School 2003 graduate Jon-Michael Nickerson had a unique way of keeping his Sandy Creek High School basketball team motivated while coaching in the 2023-2024 season after winning the state championship the year before.
“We talked about keeping it medieval on our opponents referencing the tyrant kings of that time. No mercy,” Nickerson said.
The mindset started pre-season, where Nickerson was tougher on the defending state champs in practice and in the weight room than any previous team.
“I didn’t want teenage kids to get full of themselves and get what we call ‘fat cat’ and content because they did it before. I was just as ruthless on them in practice to keep them grounded,” Nickerson said.
The team’s mindset was best displayed in the final game of the season, when Sandy Creek faced the Johnson Atomsmashers. In Georgia High School basketball, if a team is up by 30 points or more at the end of the 3rd quarter, then the final quarter is shortened from 8 minutes to 6 minutes.
The Sandy Creek Patriots were so dominant that the mercy rule was invoked in the 4th quarter of the Class 3A State Championship game. Leading by 31 points going into the 4th quarter, the Patriots coasted in the final quarter, winning by a final score of 74-49.
The win was a fitting end to the legacy of several Patriot seniors, including two time Class 3A Player of the Year Micah Smith. A month prior to the end of the regular season, Smith found out that he had two bone fragments floating in his elbow. He never missed a practice.
He found out during the first week of the playoffs that the injury was going to require surgery. Smith maintained a dominant form, scoring 15 points along with 13 rebounds in the State Championship game, not letting his injury slow him down.
The expectation for the Patriots to repeat as state champs created the most pressure the team has ever faced. However, the team didnt let the pressure take hold.
“The desire to win was even higher because they wanted to dismantle, crush, and dominate their opponent. We wanted to embarrass them. We wanted to make them sorry they even thought they had a chance versus us to begin with,” Nickerson said.
With the team gathered at mid-court after the game, officials from the GHSAA gave Nickerson the microphone. “Best defense in the state!” Nickerson yelled to a fan base that roared in agreement.
In 30 games played, only four teams hit the 60 point mark, and nobody scored more than 66 points in a game. Nickerson explained why this team was so elite defensively.
“The ability of our top seven guys to guard the ball 1v1 without ever having to go zone even against the nation’s top talent that we played in regular season. They have elite lateral footwork, they’re strong through the chest so they can take bumps without fouling, and when a breakdown happened we had elite size with athleticism and shot blocking waiting on them at the rim,” Nickerson said.
“We averaged almost eight blocks a game. For the most part teenagers aren’t good at keeping the ball in front and this team did not have that issue at all. It also just happens to be the strongest team I’ve had physically in the weight room, so when you combine physical strength with elite lateral footwork it makes for elite defense,” Nickerson said.
Although the Patriots are losing one of the best senior classes in the program’s history, the 2024-2025 team will return 11 of 16 varsity players, including Jared White, the starting point guard and Jacobi Robinson, the shooting guard.
In the State Championship game, White had 12 points on 4-6 shooting, and Robinson had a team high 18 points and was a perfect 4-4 from beyond the 3 point line.
“They will be one of, if not the best, backcourt duo in the state next year,” said Nickerson. “Even though we are losing a crucial senior class as long as we have a great experienced backcourt returning we will always be in position to win a lot. We also have a huge amount of talent that was on the bench just waiting for their opportunity to shine. It’s their turn to step up, and carve out their own legacies now,” Nickerson said.
