Nichelson hopes to continue winning ways as a Racer
WBB: The London, Kentucky product scored nearly 2,500 points in high school
When Brooke Nichelson makes her Murray State debut in about six weeks, she’s pretty direct about what Racer fans will see.
“They're going to see a team player,” Nichelson said. “I'm just going to make sure my team wins, and I'm going to do what I can to help them.”
Nichelson is used to doing a lot of winning. She started playing for North Laurel High School as a 7th grader. During her six years on the varsity team, Nichelson helped the Lady Jaguars to an overall record of 167-32, never losing more than seven games in any season, as North Laurel made the Kentucky state tournament in each of the last three years.
“Brooke comes from a winning program,” Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner said. “She also played in an AAU program that was very successful. Brooke is one of the most athletic players we’ve probably ever have had. She's kind of sneaky as far as what she can do, how high she can jump, her quick first step and those type of things.”
Along with all the winning, Nichelson was wildly productive on the court, scoring 2,495 points and grabbing 1,033 rebounds in her high school career.
A good chunk of that offensive output came from Nichelson’s ability to knock down three-pointers. As a 7th grader, she made 5-of-18 from beyond the arc. After that, she never had another season where she made worse than 37.5% from deep. In her career, Nichelson made 248 triples at a 41.8% clip. Now that she’s come into a college system that puts a premium on the three-point shot, the Racer freshman feels right at home.
“I like getting up and down pretty fast, and I like shooting threes,” Nichelson said. “I feel like it fits me pretty good.”
Nichelson’s shooting may have traveled from London, Kentucky to Murray State, but the college life has taken some getting used to.
“It's so different,” the Racer freshman said. “I think I like it more than high school, honestly. The atmosphere is way better and it's just fun. I enjoy it a lot.”
Whatever challenges Nichelson has faced in her transition to Murray State are not unexpected.
"More than anything, she's a freshman that's just got to get acclimated to what we're trying to do,” Turner added. “Acclimated to being away from home for the first time, acclimated to classes and the way that they are, and then the speed of our play. There's just so many things and factors that go into it other than basketball. As things are starting to slow down for her, we're starting to see her get better each practice and that's what we need from our young kids.”
The first official practice for the Racers is in 13 days, and Nichelson is getting plenty of support from her teammates as she tries to make a dynamic first impression as a freshman.
“I'd say definitely Brax (Baker) or Sharnecce (Currie-Jelks) or Haven (Ford) — they’re pretty good people to look up to,” Nichelson said about the teammates that have mentored her this summer. “(They tell me to) just keep my head up. If something gets hard, you’ve just got to push through.”