College Commitment – Jaiden Pickett (2025 Nelson/Sunrise Prep-KS)

As we've seen in recent years, there are many different routes to the college basketball. So when Jaiden Pickett wanted to continue his development as a college prospect after his senior year Nelson High School, he decided to take a prep year and attend Sunrise Christian Academy. It was time well spent for the 6-foot-3 guard as he not only improved his game and physique, he earned the attention of the coaches at Newman University, where he'll be playing his collegiate basketball starting next season.

"Newman is pretty close to Sunrise, where I was last year, so I'm familiar with the area and have gotten to know some people and families in the area and that's important," Pickett said. "It's a drivable distance for my Dad so it's a nice that I'll be able to have a parent somewhat close. As for the school and Coaches, when I went on the visit they made me feel comfortable and wanted, which is a good feeling when being recruited by a school. I believe in Coach (RJ) Allen's plans for me and the team, and I think our styles match up well. Ultimately I feel like Newman is the best place for me to improve and I'm excited to have this opportunity."

Newman, located in Wichita, Kansas, competes at the NCAA Division II level and there's no question Pickett believes his prep year helped prepare him for what's ahead. "Prep school helped me grow a lot, especially mentally," Pickett said. "We started with a lot of players and everyone is there for the same goal, so you really had to compete for your spot every single day. I grew physically as well by gaining around 12-15 more pounds over the 7 months and maybe an inch or so in height. That will help me a lot this next year as I'm going to be playing bigger, older, stronger guys at the D2 level. I feel like I started to find more of my role, and started to buy into it."

"The main difference between me playing at Nelson and ending off my year at Sunrise was my confidence," he continued. "I gained a lot more confidence over the year at Sunrise than I played with in High School and I think that and my pace were the big differences between how I played at Nelson compared to Sunrise."

Our congratulations go out to Pickett and his family on his decision.