Coaching legend
In Kentucky’s long and storied love affair with basketball, few names garner as much respect as that of the late high school coach Billy Hicks. Hicks left a legacy of positive influence on all who interacted with him.
Harlan County native John Wiley Bryson is one of those Hicks influenced. Bryson played for Hicks in his early coaching days and maintained a lifelong friendship with him afterward. “Billy didn’t just tell stories—he lived them,” Bryson says. “He invited people in, made things happen, and turned ordinary moments into lasting memories.”
To honor those memories, Bryson has written Billy: Coach. Leader. Legend. Friend, a collection of stories, stats, quotes, and reflections from family, friends, colleagues, and former players. “My hope in these pages,” Bryson explains, “is that we are impressed by the wins and losses, titles and championships—you cannot help but be impressed—but also, that we will be amazed by and driven to emulate who Billy was as a man. This man was a special human being who had much to teach us. We need heroes; Billy was a hero. Billy was my hero, and a hero to many, many others.”
Both on and off the court, Hicks left an indelible mark. His wife, Betsy, was his biggest supporter and estimates only missing maybe 10 of the more than 1,200 games he coached during his career. Players both old and young speak of feeling seen by their coach, who always insisted on calling his players by their first names and treating them like family, often cooking for them or taking them fishing. His biggest coaching rival, Clay County’s Bobby Keith, even left instructions requesting that Hicks speak at his funeral.
On the court, the stats speak for themselves. Of the 1,289 games he coached across his career—which included Evarts, Harlan, Corbin, and Scott County teams—1,021 resulted in a win. Add to that 24 district titles, 11 regional finals, 33 state tournament wins, seven state championship appearances, two state championships, and being named Kentucky Coach of the Year three times. In 2016, Hicks was inducted into the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame, securing his place among the state’s basketball elite.
Despite his success, Hicks always valued his roots. Following his 1,000th win while coaching at Scott County High School, he said, “A lot of people think I’m a central Kentucky guy. My roots will always be and always have been in the mountains, and I’m really proud of that.”
Hicks retired from coaching in 2019 and often spent his days fishing, his favorite pastime. He died in 2023 at the age of 71.
