- Slug: Sports-Nico Mannion. 996 words.
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By KELLY DOYLE
Cronkite News
PHOENIX — Pinnacle High School has produced its fair share of talent through the years, including Los Angeles Sparks guard Sydney Wiese and Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke.
But perhaps no Pioneers athlete has created a buzz quite like Nico Mannion, Pinnacle’s dynamic 6-foot-3 point guard.
He is the state’s top-rated high school basketball recruit and the 10th-ranked recruit in the nation this year, according to 247Sports.com.
Mannion, who received his first scholarship offer as an eighth grader, was listed as the top player in the entire 2020 high school class by sites such as Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN before he reclassified to the 2019 graduating class.
He committed to Arizona during the early signing period last year, but there was reason to wonder whether he might reopen his recruitment after the Wildcats became embroiled in a federal investigation of college basketball corruption. Despite recent changes to the Arizona coaching staff, Mannion reaffirmed his commitment to the school.
Mannion’s confidence and trust in the Arizona program hasn’t wavered even with the termination of the coach he was closest to during his recruitment.
Former assistant coach Mark Phelps, who was the first Arizona recruiter to reach out to Mannion during his freshman year of high school, was dismissed earlier this month for a violation that was not related to the federal inquiry, according to a statement issued by the university. ESPN has reported that Phelps is accused of a violation regarding the academic transcripts of a former recruit.
Another former Arizona assistant, Emanuel “Book” Richardson, faced federal bribery charges and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the corruption investigation last month. But it was the firing of Phelps that hit closest to home for Mannion.
“I was very close to coach Phelps,” Mannion said. “He was the one who started recruiting me, so that (firing) was a hard one for me to swallow.”
Mannion and his parents sought clarity on the situation from university officials and are satisfied that coach Sean Miller’s job is secure.
“The information that me and my family got from Arizona is that everything’s fine up there,” Mannion said. “They’re just doing what’s right for the university. I have 100-percent trust in coach Miller, so I’m sticking with (my commitment).”
Before heading to Tucson, Mannion still has business to take care of at Pinnacle, where he is trying to cap his career with a second consecutive 6A state championship.
Top-seeded Pinnacle bounced Mesa Mountain View, 73-55, in the first round of the 6A playoffs, and play host to No. 8 Brophy Prep in the quarterfinals at Pinnacle High School Tuesday night.
Mannion will miss Phelps when he arrives at Arizona, but for now his focus is on finishing his high school career with another state crown.
Mannion and Phelps had developed a close relationship throughout the course of the recruiting process. Once the date arrived when college coaches can begin to talk with recruits, Mannion and Phelps spoke on the phone at least twice a week, often venturing into topics beyond basketball.
“He’d call, and we wouldn’t even talk about basketball; just life, what’s going on down there, what’s going on up here – girls, family, school, everything,” said Mannion, who believes that Phelps will be successful as a coach in the future.
“He’s a great coach and a great person,” Mannion said. “One mistake shouldn’t ruin someone’s career.”
Mannion said he didn’t have any second thoughts about the future of the Arizona program once he and his parents, who met when his father Pace Mannion was playing professionally in Italy, researched the situation.
“I really didn’t. I’m really confident with all the coaching staff down there and the program,” he said. “With all the answers they’ve given us, I really have nothing to be worried about.”
Pinnacle coach Charlie Wilde supports the 17-year-old Mannion’s decision to stay close to home and play at Arizona, citing Mannion’s family as a huge part of the choice. But, it was ultimately Mannion’s confidence in Miller that pushed the Wildcats to the top of his list of Division I scholarship offers.
“I think in the long run we all thought he’d stay close to home,” Wilde said. “He’s close to his parents, close to his friends. But I think Sean Miller did a great job recruiting him, too. He did his part to sell the U of A program. I think Sean did a nice job communicating with him, making him feel like he could have a relationship with him, where maybe some of the other coaches did not.”
Wilde wasn’t the only one to have faith in Mannion’s decision. Trent Brown, Mannion’s teammate and close friend since grade school, believes Mannion will thrive in Tucson.
“He’s always been really excited for it, and I’m behind him 100 percent,” Brown said. “If he believes that he can make it work, then I’m for it all the way. I know he has a great relationship with their coaches, and one of his best friend’s is going there in Josh Green. So obviously I believe in him. He can make any situation work. It’s a testament to what they (the Wildcats) are, what they say, and what they promise.”
It’s clear to the Pinnacle community, Mannion’s coaches and his teammates, and to the Arizona basketball program that he is a special player. Pinnacle has produced many elite athletes, several of them coming from Wilde’s 19-year-old basketball program.
But Mannion, who even played for Italy’s national team last summer in a FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifier tournament game, stands apart.
“I’ve had some really good ones,” Wilde said of his past players, who include Dorian Pickens, who went on to Stanford, former San Diego guard Ray Murdock and Taylor Rohde, who played two seasons at Arizona State and later returned to Pinnacle as an assistant coach. “We’ve had some talented players. Nico’s better than all of them.
“And they’ll all admit it.”
