Former Dade County basketball coach Glen Hicks has been named the new boys' coach at South Pittsburg High School.
The 58-year old Hicks, who has 675 career wins in 37 years as a high school coach, spent the last 12 at Dade County, averaging 18 wins per season before recently stepping down. He led the Wolverines to the Georgia state tournament in eight of those years, including the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight once.
He previously coached at North Sand Mountain for 25 years and led the Bison to Alabama's final eight three times. His 1992-93 Bison team led the nation by averaging 111.8 points per game, and he was named state coach of the year.
"South Pittsburg was one of only two programs I would have left Dade for," Hicks said. "I watched some of the kids at football workouts today, and it gets me excited to see what we can do with so many great athletes coming up. This is a perfect fit for my (up-tempo) style. With the athletes here, I believe this program is a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode, and I'm excited.
"When people see the football team on their schedule, they're afraid. We want to build the basketball program up to the same standard.
"I have been great friends with (former Pirates coach) Sam Brooks, so it would mean a lot for me to restore the glory from when he was coaching here. He built a tradition at this school and I want to bring that back."
Hicks takes over for David Phillips, who recently resigned after nine seasons.
Hicks' son Cole just completed his first season coaching at North Jackson (Ala.), which is only about 10 miles from South Pittsburg. The younger Hicks, who had worked as an assistant for his dad at Dade County, led the Chiefs to a program-best 20 wins and the state's Sweet 16 in Class 4A.
"This isn't just a home run for us -- it's a grand slam," South Pittsburg athletic director Vic Grider said about Glen Hicks. "His record speaks for itself. To have somebody that's proven and has been in about every environment you can means a lot. He's built programs before, and that's one of the things that drew us to him. He's just going to be a huge plus for our basketball program, no question."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.