Havre de Grace Native Drafted By New York Knicks

NEW YORK, NY — The New York Knicks signed a Havre de Grace player, the team announced over the weekend. Immanuel Quickley, 21, was a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Harford County native, who lives in Havre de Grace, was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

He was originally selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder and traded to the New York Knicks in a three-term deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to the Knicks, which did not disclose the terms of the deal.

Quickley reportedly plans to forgo his last two seasons at the University of Kentucky to play in the NBA.

He described Kentucky as the "best college program in the world" for a basketball player, in an interview with the New York Post, in which he said the road to the NBA was filled with hard work and times he did not feel he played his best.

"Those moments are what makes the best players the greatest players," Quickley told the Post. "You think you're not good enough or you're struggling with your confidence, and then eventually you just push through if you just keep pushing."

The work of the Havre de Grace native paid off — he was third in Division 1 last season for free throws, making more than 92 percent of them, according to the New York Times, which reported he averaged 16.1 points per game last season. In March, he was named the SEC Player of the Year.

"He was focused," his mother told the New York Times, "and that is one of the biggest keys to his success."

His mother — Nitrease Quickley — played for Morgan State University in Baltimore and coached her son's recreational league, the New York Times reported. She is now an assistant principal at Bel Air High School.

Immanuel Quickley told MSG AM that his mother was the person who has had the most impact on him.

"How hard she works, I probably get that from her," Quickley said in a radio interview welcoming him to the Knicks.

Quickley told the New York radio station he was glad to be drafted by the Knicks in part because he is now close enough to home so his family could come to his games.

At the John Carroll School, Quickley was a two-time state champ and three-time All-State player. A turning point for him was his freshman year in high school, where he said he saw two teammates choosing to continue working out rather than going home after practice ended. He told MSG AM he was "in awe" they did something other than go home and play video games.

"You've got to outwork a lot of people in front of nobody," Quickley said of his progress, such as working out at 1 a.m. and training in empty gyms. "It's a lot that goes into it."

His personal goal now, Quickley told MSG AM, is "trying to get better each and every day."

Quickley is one of four Harford County residents to be a first-round NBA Draft pick, according to The Aegis, which reported others were Dudley Bradley of Edgewood, drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1979; his brother, Charles "Tub" Bradley of Edgewood, drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1981; and Tommy Davis of Aberdeen High School, who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1985.

See Also: HdG Athlete Wins Basketball Honor Twice In A Row: Report