Xavier and Creighton offer 7-foot big man Matthew Nicholson

All Matthew Nicholson ever wanted was an opportunity.

When he first made the varsity team as a high school sophomore, he barely played in a reserve role. He cherished any moment of playing time he received.

A year later, he was at the forefront of Clarkston’s (Mich.) varsity basketball team, helping the Wolves string together a 17-game winning streak this past season en route to a 17-3 finish. He became a prominent part of Clarkston’s frontcourt, a fixture down low. He put the work in to improve as an all-around player and now schools are taking notice.

On Tuesday, the 2020 big man received a couple more Division I offers—this time from the Creighton Bluejays and Xavier Musketeers.

This past season, he averaged 13.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks as a member of the Wolves. His size is something that stands out immediately, coming in at 7-feet tall and 215 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan to boot. However, he’s taken the time to grow as a scorer in the post.

Already known for his rim protecting and rebounding, Nicholson evolved on the offensive end, developing and showing great footwork in the post. He’s meticulous in the way he gets to work in the paint, freeing himself and fooling defenders with a variety of post moves to get an easy shot attempt. It’s clear that his time sitting behind current big men in the Big 10, Taylor Currie (Wisconsin) and Thomas Kithier (Michigan State) taught him a lot. Now that he has his opportunity, he’s simply relished in it.

Xavier and Creighton are just the latest to offer Nicholson, who caught the eye of Division I scouts this week. He landed his first Division I offers this week, after mainly receiving interest from Division II schools.

He also has offers from Ball State and Western Michigan, as well as Division II’s Ferris State and Lake Superior State, but with the way things are going, it’s only a matter of time before more schools take notice.

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