Oklahoma State Hoops and Mike Boynton Get a Bonafide Shooter in Hicklen
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State basketball and head coach Mike Boynton picked up another badly needed piece to the puzzle as the Cowboys try to put back together a veteran presence for a talented recruiting class with the OSU basketball program. Jarius Hicklen is a sharpshooter from North Florida that originally is from the Dallas area and DeSoto High School and played his first two seasons of college basketball at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee. Hicklen announced his transfer from the University of North Florida to Oklahoma State on social media on Saturday afternoon.
Hicklen is 6-3, 170-pounds and can handle the basketball well, but what he does is shoot and especially shoot from three-point range. Hicklen started all 31 games last season at North Florida and played a total of 1,021 minutes and averaged 12.5 points per game. He scored in double figures in 21 of his 31 games and had two games where he tallied 24 points.
Hicklen had his season high of 25 points in a first round ASUN Tournament win over Bellarmine. In that game he was 7-of-11 from three-point range.
His most dramatic moment at North Florida was his step back three pointer with five seconds left to knock off Lipscomb in a 114-111 win.
As important as any factor in recruiting Hicklen off the NCAA transfer portal was his performances in games against Power Five competition as he had 19 points against nationally ranked Washington, 17 points versus Kentucky, 15 points in a game with Pitt, and 12 points against the number-one ranked University of Houston.
For the season at North Florida, Hicklen earned ASUN Player of the Week honors and Newcomer of the Week honors. he finished with 121-of-315 shooting for 38.4 percent from the field. He hit 82-of-227 three-pointers for 36.1 percent. He was a 75.6 percent free throw shooter hitting 62-of-82 from the line.
His first season at North Florida he hit 87 three-pointers in just 30 games played and 15 games that he started that season.
Academically, he was named to the ASUN Honor Roll, and the NABC Honor Court. He is a strong student with his bachelor’s degree already and he is pursuing a Master’s in Science in Management degree.
Hicklen came from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee where he played two seasons and averaged 16.2 point per game as a sophomore. He hit 45 percent from the floor that season and 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.
When Hicklen left OBU for North Florida, his coach at OBU, Jason Eaker not only gave his blessing, but he told The Florida Times-Union newspaper he helped Hicklen just to Division I.
"We love him ... he helped us win championships," Eaker said to the newspaper after Hicklen left OBU for North Florida. "He helped us, we help him. It's what coaching is about. And to go to UNF to play for Matt (Driscoll), who's all about kids, pushing them, holding them accountable ... it's a win-win for everyone. I couldn't be happier he chose to play at UNF."
At DeSoto he was an honor roll student and earned Plyer of the Year in District 7-6A for the Eagles.
Hicklen becomes the third transfer portal pick-up this offseason for Mike Boynton and the Cowboys that will also bring in a top 10 recruiting class that includes two ESPN Top 100 players in the class.
Two scholarships are left with the possibility of not using one and fulfilling the last portion of the NCAA penlaty from the infractions regarding former assistant coach Lamont Evans. That leaves Boynton and his staff with two crucial pieces left to find to perhaps change the fortunes of Cowboy basketball. They badly need a true point guard on the floor. There hasn’t been one the past two seasons. It would appear they need another experienced big player as well.