Arkansas State signs transfer Freddy Hicks
Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Bryan Hodgson announced Tuesday the addition of Tarleton State transfer Freddy Hicks to the 2023-24 roster. Hicks will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“We are so excited to bring Freddy Hicks back home,” said Hodgson. “Freddy is bringing toughness, versatility and a level of experience that will greatly benefit this program. Freddy was one of the best two-way players in the transfer portal, and is ready to follow in his dad's footsteps, to help take this program back to the NCAA tournament. Freddy could have gone anywhere in the country, but chose to come back home and be a Red Wolf, and I can't wait to coach him.”
Hicks, a Searcy, Ark., native and the son of A-State letterman Freddy Hicks (1995-99), played the last three seasons at Tarleton State. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward joins the Red Wolves with 934 points (12.6), 410 rebounds (5.5), 126 assists (1.7), 73 steals (1.0) and 44 blocks (0.6) in his 74 career games played, including 70 starts. For his career, he has shot 42.0 percent (277-660) from the floor, 31.7 percent (53-167) beyond the arc and 74.8 percent (327-437) at the charity stripe.
An All-WAC Second Team pick, Hicks averaged a team-high 16.2 points and 6.0 rebounds along with 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game for the Texans in 23 games played in 2022-23. His 16.2 points per game marked the best scoring average in Tarleton’s D1 era. He established a single-game NCAA Division I record for free throw attempts with 28 against Belmont at the Paradise Jam.
He dropped a season-best 30 points and nine rebounds against Drake in the championship game of the Paradise Jam. Averaging 25.7 points and 7.7 rebounds on 20-of-37 (.541) shooting in games against Belmont, Boston College and Drake, Hicks earned a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. He posted seven 20-point games and also had 18 double-digit scoring performances and 15 multi-assist outings. He collected a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds in the College Basketball Invitational against Radford. In three postseason games spanning the WAC Tournament and CBI, he averaged 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 37.8 percent from the floor (14-37), 66.7 percent from 3-point range (4-6) and 92.9 percent (26-28) at the free throw line in the postseason.
In his second season (2021-22) at Tarleton State, Hicks started all 31 games for the Texans and averaged 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals in 31.1 minutes per game. He ranked second on the team in rebounds and was third in scoring. He posted 20 or more points seven times and scored 10-plus in 20 outings. He ended the year scoring double figures in the last six games, averaging 17.3 points in that stretch. In WAC play, he averaged 16.3 points per game.
As a freshman (2020-21), Hicks appeared in all 20 games, making 16 starts. He led all WAC first-year players in scoring (8.2 PPG) and was named WAC Freshman of the Year. He finished second on the team in rebounds (5.4) and was first in blocks (0.6). Hicks recorded three double-doubles on the year, including a 20-point, 13-rebound performance against Cal Baptist on Jan. 16.
A three-year letterwinner at Searcy High School, Hicks is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,603 points. He was a two-time All-State and two-time All-Conference selection. As a senior, he averaged 24 points, including a 5A East Region best 27 points per game in conference play with 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Hicks Jr. is the son of Jennifer and Freddy Hicks. Freddy Hicks Sr. played from 1995-99 for A-State and totaled 702 points (6.7) and 514 rebounds (4.9) in 105 games played. His 204 career blocks are a program record. Hicks Sr. was a member of the 1998-99 team that is the only A-State squad to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Freddy Hicks, who also visited Arkansas and SMU before choosing A-State, joins transfers LaQuill Hardnett (Buffalo) and Dyondre Dominguez (UMass) as additions to the 2023-24 roster for head coach Bryan Hodgson.