Nichols is a player who we watched a couple of times this year, and he’s a player who starred in his role. The moment was never too big for Nichols, as you could always count on him to be a solid rebounder. He stepped up and scored when attention was on teammates, and he found ways to impact the game with his activity. Nichols played hard in every setting. He kept defenses honest offensively as he could get to the rim or step out and extend the defense with his shot, and he checks off boxes. He will make a rise in the rankings after a solid season. 

Mountain Vista has one of the best bigs in the entire state, so naturally, a ton of the attention goes his way. But what they also have is a front-court duo that makes it extremely difficult on opposing teams, and they’re feeding off of one another to look like a team that could make a deep playoff run. Nichols is a player who gets overlooked, but if you look at his impact, he’s been very productive. He’s averaging 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. He’s working the high-low, moving on the block, and finishing down low. He’s keeping plays alive, rebounding with effort and resetting the plays. Ian can also defend bigs and stronger players, and that is a weapon. He’s a constant and glue guy for the team.  

Nichols finished with 15 points and made a noticeable impact with his knack for big momentum swings. When his team needed a crucial bucket or a key defensive stop, he was right there making plays. Whether it was scoring in transition, hitting a timely three, or locking in defensively, Nichols consistently stepped up in the moments that mattered most. His ability to shift the game’s energy and come through in clutch situations made him a go to presence and a player who can change the flow for his team

Nichols is a super-skilled 6’5 big man and athlete who cannot make plays happen on the block, but also occasionally shoot the 3-ball. We got to see that for Premier this summer, and we’re curious to see how that translates to varsity. He swung a bit on varsity as a junior and got his feet wet, but this year he should earn minutes by making the most of the minutes he gets. He needs to affect the game with his size and star in his role, no matter what that is. With a talented set of bigs in front of him, playing with unmatched energy and keying in defensively will be how he earns extra minutes, and from what we were able to see from him, we expect for it to open things up for him. He makes the rankings for the first time with room to grow!

Ian Nichols Ian Nichols 6'5" Mountain Vista | 2026 State CO is a shifty big man on a stacked premier team loaded with shooters. Nichols has a tenacious drive to the paint and works hard to rack up plenty of rebounds. On the blocks, Nichols does a great job of establishing himself and converting on close-range contested shots. Look for Nichols to continue to dominate this summer.