Motiv8

Social media sensation Nico Mannion is more than just an instagram influencer—the HS point guard out of arizona is a true bucket getter who’s on his way to becoming a serious problem. Just know.

- Ryan Jones

IT DOESN’T take Charlie Wilde long to find the right phrase. Ask the Pinnacle (AZ) High coach how best to describe what makes his star player, Nico Mannion, so good, and Wilde quickly settles on what might be the highest praise a coach can offer.

“He’s a pleaser—he wants to make sure he’s always doing the right thing,” Wilde says. “You don’t get pleasers very often, especially when they’re your best player.” 

Mannion is undoubtedly that—the best player on a state championship team, possibly the best player in his state, and a consensus top-five point guard in the 2020 class. Well, for now: the 6-3, 180-pound rising junior hasn’t ruled out reclassifying, graduating early and starting college in the fall of 2019. Until then, he’s got at least one more year at Pinnacle, and one more year to prove he belongs among the best in the nation. He’s also the first to admit he had something of a head start. His dad, Pace Mannion, played professionally for nearly two decades, including brief stints with six NBA teams and a long, impressive run in the top Italian league. “It’s a huge advantage,” Nico says of being the son of a longtime pro. “He’s been there since I’ve started playing, and he probably knows my game and what I need to work on better than anyone else. He knows the ins and outs, on and off the court.”