18 months ago, Isaiah Hicks was in Phoenix, Arizona at the site of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. It was there that he helped lead North Carolina past Oregon and Gonzaga for the Tar Heels’ sixth national title in program history.
Hicks’ name wasn’t called during the ensuing NBA Draft, and he was forced to take an unconventional path to professional basketball. That path led him to the NBA G-League where he signed a two-way contract as a rookie that would allow him to split time between the New York Knicks, and their minor league affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.