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Central's Hicks to play for The Citadel

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By Andrew Petersen | Sunday, November 25, 2007 |

When Craig Wurdinger first took the Davenport Central basketball coaching job, E.J. Hicks caught his eye.

Hicks was a sophomore then, and Wurdinger saw promise. He also noticed something else — his lack of an outside shot.

That was two years ago. Affirming how far he has come in that time, Hicks signed a letter of intent to play for The Citadel on Tuesday at Central’s Kahler Auditorium.

“It may seem bad because it’s a military school, but the team, coaches and weather is perfect,” Hicks said.

The Division-I school is located in Charleston, S.C., and is coached by 1985 Davenport Assumption graduate Ed Conroy. Conroy is in his second season with the Bulldogs, who are 1-2 this season and last finished with a .500 record in 2002.

Hicks first heard of the school’s interest in August and originally planned to delay any decision. After he visited the school and met the team shortly after, he jumped at the offer.

Hicks, who averaged 17.8 points and was the Mississippi Athletic Conference player of the year as a junior, said he expects to vie for playing time once he joins the Bulldogs.

Wurdinger had plenty of praise for his first D-I recruit in 18 years of coaching.

“It’s been a pleasure to be around him,” Wurdinger said. “His outside shooting has come a long ways. It was suspect.

“Obviously, the work has paid off.”

Particularly after his sophomore season, Hicks focused on eliminating his long-range weakness. He shot 500 3-pointers a day during the offseason, and the difference soon was apparent.

“Growing up as the point guard, I was always looking to dribble and pass,” Hicks said. “My shot was never there.

“It makes my game a lot better.”

Andrew Petersen can be contacted at (563) 383-2288 or apetersen@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.