Every year there’s a group of players that “breakout” onto the high school and grassroots scene. Last year in Texas we saw Michigan State signee Gehrig Normand (Birdville, Texas) rise from a mid-major prospect to a unanimous Top 150 talent in the country across the major national recruiting networks.
This year I see 2024 Nic Codie (Newman Smith, Carrollton, Texas) make a major leap in his stock in the next 3-6 months. Before we do an outlook on what’s ahead, we caught up with the 6’8 forward to talk about his season and how he’s been able to utilize his skills to equate to wins.
“Coach (Percy) Johnson gives me a lot of freedom and I can impact games either on the wing or inside,” Codie said. “I enjoy playing on the wing more, being able to go off the dribble and score, but I also know when to go inside and get buckets, too. Coach Johnson having trust in me makes me play with confidence and do whatever I can to help my team win.”
Currently, the Trojans hold a 19-5 record and a flawless 11-0 record in district play. The Dallas Morning News recently ranked them No. 10 in their DFW 5A UIL (University Interscholastic League) poll.
This whole season hasn’t been sweet though, as Newman Smith sunk into a 2-5 record to begin the season. So yes, Newman Smith is on a 17-game win streak since being three games under .500.
“Everyone knew we had to change. We obviously weren’t happy with our record. We had a meeting as a team and actually started to play like a team,” Codie said. “Everybody started showing 100 percent on defense, we started playing with a lot of energy, getting out on transition and not only looking for one person to score.”
Codie talks about the keys for the Trojans to make a playoff run in a deep Class 5A classification.
“Key is to stay humble, stay together, fix up the little stuff. We need to stay healthy and do what is needed to take care of our bodies.”
The Eval
Really in the tweener mold right now. Wiry, lean prospect with an array of skills. Adequate handle for size, which allows him to grab rebounds and push but also step out onto the wing and create own look when he has an advantage on the matchup. Goes inside and uses his plus length to finish over like-size opponents and is also active on the offensive glass. The shooting stroke looks promising especially on catch and shoot scenarios, but Codie can sometimes float on the perimeter more for my liking at times. Still, Codie provides a formidable inside-out game and I can see further down the road of him being a multi-purpose wing that’ll bring versatility on both ends of the floor.
Current Recruitment
Codie holds offers from Sam Houston State, UT Arlington, Tulsa and Cal-Berkeley. The Golden Bears recently just offered Codie. And when I say recent, I mean as recent as me beginning to write about his recruitment. Tulsa and Cal have been the programs that have pursued him the most so far. St. Louis, Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State and Texas A&M Corpus Christi have shown interest.
“These next couple months will be important for me; be big on how my recruitment goes. Want to help my team make a run in the playoffs and try to win an Adidas Championship (Playing with Southern Assault) this summer,” Codie said. “I need to be consistent with my play and just show how good I am.”
Consistency is key for Codie, but he’s figuring out how to stay productive on the court outside of scoring. He checks a lot of boxes from a physical and skill standpoint and I do believe we will see the ???? emoji by his name many times until we get to the fall. Check back to this article in August and I bet I was right.
