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Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Hicks at ease as he awaits potential selection
NBA Draft Q and A with Michael Hicks

Hicks

Former Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball player Michael Hicks is hoping to be one of the 58 players chosen tonight in the NBA draft.

   Q: What are your plans for the day of the draft?
   A: I'm just going to watch television at a friend's house and watch the draft go, then wait for my agent to call. I'm going to try to relax because, like I said, this is such an exciting time. I feel like everything that happens now is something I can't control, so I'm going to try to sit back and watch it and see what happens. There is not anything else for me to do.

   Q: Have you thought about what you will do if you are not drafted?
   A: If it does not happen for me on the day of the draft, I will probably go overseas. I don't think I will stay around and spend a lot of time trying to sign with teams as a free agent. I will play in Europe, then come back to the United States and try to play in some of the summer leagues that the NBA players are in.
   Sometimes, it takes awhile to prove yourself. And if you play overseas and prove yourself, you can still get drafted from there. If I don't get drafted this year, it's not my final chance. I still have another chance next season, and another chance the year after that, and maybe even more. My goal would be to play with a team in Europe, work hard and be aggressive like I have been in the past.
   If I don't get picked this time, maybe all it would take is the chance to show scouts how I do against other professionals in Europe. I think the reason some people don't get drafted and don't make it to the NBA is that they don't play hard enough and don't perform in the games when they get an opportunity to show what they can do.
   I make sure that when those opportunities come, I'm aggressive and the hardest worker on the basketball court. The thing about the NBA is that it's very hard to get in. But once you are in, you are there. And if you keep working hard, it's very hard for somebody to take your spot.

   Q: How would you describe the emotions you've felt in the final hours leading up to the draft. Are you more nervous or excited?
   A: I am just so excited, I don't even know how to describe the feeling enough to really explain it. I'm waiting for the day, waiting to see if what I've done has made somebody notice that I can play at that level. I just want to play in the NBA, and that has been my goal for years. That's what I've wanted to do ever since I started playing basketball.
   I think that's every player's goal, to go to the NBA and be able to perform with the best in the world.
   For me, it would be nice to be able to help out my family by playing basketball. And I know I can do it. I know I can play against those players. I've run across a lot of guys from the NBA when I was on the Panama national team, playing against teams from the United States. I know I can do it. All that's left now is to see if somebody else believes I can.

   Q: Are you satisfied that you've done everything you could possibly do to prepare yourself for this moment, and put yourself in the best position for the draft?
   A: I think I've done all I can do because of the two years in Corpus Christi and the camps I attended after last season. Those two years I was in school at Corpus Christi helped a lot because of the way Coach (Ronnie) Arrow worked with me very hard every day to make me a better player. He helped me with my ability to play hard and be aggressive every time on the floor and every minute of the game.
   There were also a lot of contacts that I made with people in the NBA and a lot of people who came to our games to see me play because of Coach Arrow.
   In the camp at Portsmouth (Va.) and the Chicago camp, I was able to see how I compared to some of the other players in the United States who were thinking about making themselves eligible for the draft. The way I looked at it, the only way you can find out if you are physically and mentally ready is to play against the best. I know that I have to get stronger to play at the next level. The guys in the NBA are big. There aren't any college boys there. You're going against men. Those guys have to stay physically and mentally strong to stay in the league, so you have to raise your level of play to match them. I took every opportunity the past two years and did my best in every situation. I'm hoping it's enough. If not, that's fine because I feel like I prepared myself and worked hard to reach the goal.

   Q: How big an impact do you think it would have on the A&M-CC program if you are drafted?
   A: I hope it would help. Coming from a small school that not many people really knows much about, it would be nice to give it some recognition. Maybe if I get drafted, there will be some other players out there who look at this and think that they could go to A&M-CC and the same thing could happen.
   I think it would help show people that you don't have to go to a big school to reach your goals. You can get drafted out of Division I, Division II, Division III or NAIA. If you work hard and improve your skills and listen to a coach who can teach you more about the game, then you have a chance. The main thing isn't where you play, it's how you play and how hard to work at getting better.

   Q: The A&M-CC coaching staff often mentions how much you did for the program, but what did the school and the basketball program do for you?
   A: First of all, I got the opportunity to play basketball on a full scholarship. Second, the coaches gave me the chance from the very first day to be a leader on the team. That is really what I was looking for, no matter what the size of the school was when I accepted a scholarship offer. I was looking to be a guy who could be a leader.
   Coach Arrow told me from the very first day that if I worked hard, I could play 30 or 35 minutes per game and be the man of the team. He said that I had the chance to put a new program on the map, and that challenge is what really made me want to play there. I hope that I was able to do a little of that in my two seasons.


This Q&A was conducted by staff writer Darrin Scheid. Contact him at 886-3747 or scheidd@caller.com

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