J.J. Hickson

J. J. Hickson is a professional basketball player from the United States of America who plays as a power forward. Hickson went to the Joseph Wheeler High School where he was ranked as the 10th most promising recruit across the country for the graduating class of 2007. He was part of the 2007 McDonald’s All-American lineup in 2007 and was also at the number two spot as a power forward on Rivals.com and Number 3 on Scout.com. In his junior year, Hickson led his team to the 5A Final Four while in his senior year, he averaged at 25.9 points per game with 13.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.

Hickson went to the North Carolina State University where he played just one season. In that season, he won the ACC Rookie of the Week title three times after scoring more than 20 or more points in a game 7 times with 10 double-doubles. He grabbed 23 rebounds in a single game to set an ACC single-game freshman record against Clemson University.

In his one season, he averaged at 14.8 ppg with 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting at 59% from the floor. He was picked for the All-Freshman team in the ACC and also got an honourable mention in the All-ACC team. Hickson declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was picked at 19th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He started playing for the Cavaliers in the Summer League where he averaged 19.4 points per game with 7.8 rebounds per game. He was chosen for the NBA roster where he made his debut against the Charlotte Bobcats, scoring just 4 points with a field goal and two from the line.