Nicely to sign with N.C. Central

When Jonathan Nicely's name was called before Evans basketball's senior night, the cheerleader with the microphone said he was headed to Georgia Tech.

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She must not have been to the most recent scouting Web site because that changed this week.

Nicely, a Knights receiver and standout basketball player, was offered a full football scholarship to N.C. Central and was expected to sign earlier this week.

Nicely visited the school Feb. 10-11 and was sold, his mother said.

"It was beautiful," JoAnn Nicely said. "The campus is really nice, and we were very impressed. It kind of reminded us a little bit of Atlanta, with all the universities right there."

Atlanta is where Nicely was leaning before last week. He sent his highlight tape to Yellow Jackets coaches, who were so impressed they told him he could try to walk on.

Central offered Nicely a full ride and seemed willing to work with him academically.

Nicely wanted to take engineering at Georgia Tech, and Central doesn't offer an engineering degree.

But Nicely was told he could get his engineering degree at Central through a co-op program with Duke after his sophomore year.

He also was told he was wanted by the Eagles basketball team, a prospect his mother didn't sound happy about.

"I told Jonathan that would be entirely too much for him, with him trying to get an engineering degree," she said. "We don't recommend that at all. I told him, I said 'You need to follow your heart. If basketball is your true passion, then wait out for basketball.' But he said he wanted to play football."

Nicely was named to the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-State football team this year. He is averaging more than 16 points a game for the Knights basketball team.