The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Annouces Signing of Marcus Hicks
6/21/1999 | Men's Basketball
April 29, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - Marcus Hicks, a 6-foot-6 forward from Jackson, Tenn., has signed a national letter of intent to attend Ole Miss beginning in the fall of 1998, Rebel head coach Rod Barnes announced Friday. Hicks, a sophomore, played the last two seasons for Coach Marc Dukes at Northwest Mississippi Community College and will have two years of eligibility left to play at Ole Miss.
Hicks is the first signee of the spring signing period and is the fifth recruit of the Rebels' 1998 class. In the early period in November, Ole Miss signed Darrian Brown of West Memphis, Ark., Matt Pruitt of Jonesboro, Ark., David Sanders of Jackson, Miss., and Lataryl Williams of Oxford, Miss.
"Marcus is a player who brings a lot of things to our program," said Coach Barnes. "I am excited because he is the first signee for me. He is a very athletic and versatile player, and on top of that, he is an outstanding individual. Marcus is a big signee for us, and I feel that he can come in and immediately help our program carry on the recent success that we have had."
A 1998 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America first team pick, Hicks helped lead Northwest to its first-ever final four appearance in the NJCAA national tournament this season. Hicks, who was selected the Region 23 Most Valuable Player in 1998, was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team and also picked up All-State and All-Region 23 honors. He completed his two years at Northwest as the school's all-time blocked shots leader with 169, and also finished fourth on the school's career scoring chart with 1,108 points and second on the career rebounding list with 624 boards. Hicks, who recently netted a game-best 22 points in the Mississippi Junior College All-Star Game, will also participate in the Florida Space Coast Basketball Showcase in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday. The game will have the top 10 junior college players in Florida compete against the top 10 junior college players from the rest of the country.
As a sophomore in 1998, Hicks averaged 19.1 points and nine rebounds per game and shot 63.2 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from the three-point arc. He averaged 14.2 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 70.7 percent from the field as a freshman.
Prior to his time at Northwest, Hicks played at Northside High School for Coach Terry Hill. As a senior in 1995-96, Hicks averaged 26.2 points and four blocked shots, while leading the Indians to a 24-3 record and the district championship. Hicks, who earned the squad's Most Valuable Player honor, was also named All-State, All-Region and All-District his senior season.
The Rebels finished the 1997-98 season with a 22-7 overall record and a 12-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss won its second straight SEC Western Division title and received a bid to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament in 1998.
