RISING TALENT BRIAN HICKMAN LOCKED IN ON BIG DREAMS
By Melissa Zhang
One of pickleball ’ s rising stars and young advocates resides in a small suburb near Charlotte , North Carolina . Known at school as “ the pickleball guy ,” 16-year-old Brian Hickman converted to pickleball after excelling in soccer , basketball , and baseball .
“ My nickname in high school is Pickle ,” Hickman said . “ My friends call me Pickle Boy or Pickleball Boy — but mostly just Pickle at this point . I ’ m the only kid in school who plays pickleball , so people know me for that over anything else .”
Growing up in an athletic family , Hickman had to look beyond traditional sports when some of his school ’ s sports were in danger of being canceled due to the pandemic .
After hearing about a pickleball clinic near their hometown of Landis , Brian and his mother , Amanda Jo Przybyszewski , decided to attend . They were so enamored with the sport that they played in a pickleball tournament only two weeks after .
“ We went 0-2 ,” Przybyszewski said . “ We were so green , but we met a lot of people in the community , saw what a tournament was like , and thought ‘ Oh my gosh , this is awesome .’”
Hickman soon learned that his athletic prowess from other sports — speed from basketball , handeye coordination from baseball and footwork from soccer — carried over to the pickleball court .
These skills helped him become a 5.0-rated player who won three gold medals at the 2023 APP Daytona Open and a gold medal in 5.0 19 + Men ’ s Doubles at the inaugural 2022 Diamond Amateur Championship . Additionally , he ’ s sponsored by Paddletek and has earned a platinum ticket to the Minor League Pickleball championship event later this year with his team , Basic Dink .
Hickman started dreaming of turning pro in 2021 at the Delray Beach Open , where he played in 3.5 brackets and later watched top-ranked women ’ s player Anna Leigh Waters compete .
“ I was amazed at the level of play ,” Hickman said . “ I thought that ’ s incredible that a 14-year-old is a
Brian Hickman competing in Mixed Doubles with partner Steph Jacques at the 2023 APP Daytona Beach Open , where the pair earned a gold medal . Photo by Toni Bocz .
professional player . That was one of the big kick-off moments for me when I thought , ‘ I really want to start taking this seriously .’”
Hickman has since dedicated himself to pickleball — playing in more than 30 major events in under two years and spreading the word about pickleball in his community .
While running drills with his mother at a local park one day , he noticed kids watching and invited them to join .
“ Being able to share my passion with others , I thought that was really cool ,” said Hickman , who secured a $ 250 USA Pickleball community grant to provide pickleball equipment for foster kids at the Nazareth Children ’ s Home . “ I want to share my ability to help others learn and get into pickleball .”
Despite already surpassing one of his goals , playing 5.0 by age 16 , Hickman is hungry for more . His sights are still set on becoming a professional player , like Anna Leigh Waters . And with 2023 shaping up to be a massive year for Hickman , including his first trip to Nationals , there ’ s no doubt he ’ ll continue being known as “ the pickleball guy ” for many years to come . •
Junior Spotlight
MARCH / APRIL 2023 | MAGAZINE 57