Reserve guard’s ‘passion’ shines in 2nd year with Rebels

Brooklyn Hicks didn’t have to think for long when asked to describe in one word what he brings to the UNLV basketball team.

“Passion,” he said with a smile, moments removed from a long practice.

“I love doing this,” Hicks added. “I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

That’s not hard to see on the court. He showcased it in the team’s most recent outing, a 77-58 win over Air Force.

With a nearly 30-point advantage in the final six minutes, Hicks dived to the floor for a loose ball to force a jump ball. He was airborne again soon enough, crashing into the Rebels’ bench to chase a bad pass and extend the play a minute later.

UNLV coach Kevin Kruger has come to expect such a consistent level of effort and energy from Hicks. It will likely be on display again when the Rebels (8-5, 2-0 Mountain West) host San Jose State (7-8, 0-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“He just plays extremely hard,” Kruger said after Friday’s practice. “He’s somebody that plays full speed every second he’s on the court. He does a good job of kind of making hustle plays, and I think that’s what leads to good outcomes, when you got groups of guys that are kind of doing whatever they can to get good results on both ends of the floor. Brooklyn has certainly had some really good ones as of late, especially.”

The 6-foot-3-inch sophomore has paired with Jailen Bedford for a reliable reserve guard corps, which is exactly what Kruger said he was hoping for at the start of the season with Boise State transfer guard Jace Whiting out indefinitely because of a foot injury.

Kruger previously said Bedford has graciously “embraced” coming off the bench. The fourth-year coach feels the same way about Hicks, who has adapted to more modest stat lines after averaging more than 30 points per game as a senior at Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington.

Hicks’ highlights

Hicks is averaging 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 18.9 minutes per game. Even though he doesn’t score often, he’s a near-constant presence in the highlight reel of every Rebels game.

Before soaring for slam dunks against Mississippi State and UC Riverside, Hicks did that and more in an 80-59 win over Pepperdine on Nov. 20.

His collegiate career-high 16 points featured a coast-to-coast steal and score in some early minutes off the bench that stood out to Kruger, even though it’s something Hicks is no stranger to doing.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of guys that have his speed and his ability to do that,” Kruger said.

Kruger said that performance was “Day 1” of Hicks playing the way they both know he can.

“He’s got a healthy chip on his shoulder. He always feels like he’s kind of being counted out,” Kruger said. “Those are the guys that end up having great nights and having great careers.”

Loud communicator

Even if Hicks isn’t seen on the court, he’s easily heard.

For someone unfamiliar with the team, watching Hicks communicate at practice might end in the conclusion that he trash talks his teammates. In reality, he’s pushing them to be better.

“He’s very loud, much louder than the rest of us, especially me,” star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. said. “But it just sets the tone for the rest of us. And just the coaches love him talking as much as he does. So, we’re all just trying to get to that level.”

Hicks’ identity as a vocal leader began to form at the end of last season.

“Games started to slow down a little bit (for me),” he said. “And I would even say to some of the older guys like, ‘That’s not right, and you know it.’ I want to carry it over to this year, and it was easy just being able to see it.”

It might not have always gone over well, but it works for the whole team now.

“In the beginning of the year, they definitely got annoyed with me,” Hicks said of his teammates. “But I’m very consistent with my voice and how I act and show up early every single morning, so I think they finally got used to just who I am.”

Kruger wants more players to follow Hicks’ example.

“He has a powerful voice, and he doesn’t mind putting himself out there a little bit to take the responsibility of the result,” Kruger said. “When you got a handful of guys doing that, you can be pretty good.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.