Hall of Fame
Scott W. Hicks ’88 – Class of 2002
Accountability…
When John Beilein became the men’s basketball coach at Le Moyne College he needed to quickly demonstrate that the program could attract top-notch talent. He focused on an athlete from a strong Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School program. The young man with a forward’s stature and a point guard’s mind became Beilein’s first recruit. Even before Scott Hicks stepped on the court, his signing brought credibility to the Heights and opened the door to other talented prospects. It marked the beginning of a new era of Dolphin success on the hardwood.
John Beilein: “Even as an underclassman, he took responsibility for the team’s success.”
Hicks took that responsibility and led the Dolphins to some of the most successful years of men’s basketball. It is reflected in his personal career statistics: 1470 points, 627 rebounds, 320 assists and 178 steals. Hicks was named all-conference, All-Northeast Region, Co-Captain of his team and the 1988 Rev. John J. O’Brien Award for Le Moyne’s Male Athlete of the Year.
His numbers and accolades only begin to tell the story of his contributions to the program. A natural leader, Hicks was the sort of dependable, steady player who constantly worked to improve his game. In his four years as a starter, the Dolphins accumulated a record of 77-41, highlighted by a spectacular 24-6 mark in his senior year. Discount an injury riddled sophomore year, and the Le Moyne teams on which he played won more than 70 percent of their games.
Dick Rockwell: “When you need to have something done, and it absolutely has to be done right, you can ask him and then forget about it…”
In 1992, after a stint as an assistant coach at Syracuse University, Hicks took over at the helm of Le Moyne men’s basketball. He was the youngest head basketball coach in the country and he did his alma mater proud. Under Hicks, the Dolphins tallied an 87-56 record in five years, including two New England Collegiate Tournament Championships and two NCAA play-off bids. The 24-6 record of the 1995-96 team tied the record from his senior year as the best in Le Moyne history.
Hicks was as committed to the Le Moyne tradition as he was to winning basketball games. In his role as a coach, he brought “a keen perspective of what’s really important,” as one colleague put it. He was not reluctant to speak about spiritual things and he always made arrangements for his players to attend religious services when traveling. Hicks was a steady example of the importance of moral conviction as a part of the Le Moyne community.
A Stellar player and coach, a deans list student, a devoted husband and father, a man who welcomes accountability and one who was instrumental to the most successful Dolphin basketball teams of all time…
Scott W. Hicks ’88 is a member of the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
February 2, 2002
