Walk-on role model

By Leo D. Rommel

Kevin Hickman held it in for as long as he could.

He’s tried to keep it from coming out. You saw it. You heard it. You even smelled it, the inner struggle that took place within him. He initially shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, then slouched forward and glanced down at the table.

No big deal, he must have told himself, or at least that’s what he tried to convince himself of. But I guess he struck out.

His face got red, really red, like a pitcher of Kool-Aid. Then, all at once, a smile broke through, small at first but it grew and grew until all of sudden Hickman was giggling, laughing, seemingly overjoyed.

“I just can’t believe this is all happening,” he says.

That makes two of us.

To say this, all of this, is an utter surprise would be an understatement. Hickman, a 6’2 junior point guard from Newark, Del., is one of two captains on this year’s basketball squad, an extraordinary feat by any standards. He’s muscular, sharp-witted, overly energetic and, most importantly, pleasantly enthusiastic.

But take a look at these numbers: In 2005, Hickman shot 0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 from three-point territory and – thanks to an insanely perfect free-throw percentage (2-for-2, thank you very much) – tallied two points.

Not for a game.

For the season.

Huh?

“I know, I know,” he confesses. “It’s insane. Usually the best player on the team is named captain. I’m the exception.”

Yes you are, Kevin. You certainly are. But for heaven’s sake, how?

“That’s the amazing part,” said assistant coach Dane Fischer. “The walk-on tryout, his numbers, his playing time, his character, it’s all very unique.”

Let me tell the story, Coach.

It all begins in the summer of 2004. Hickman, then a senior at Wilmington Christian High School, is a good but not spectacular player. He’s receiving very little attention from college recruits and the childhood fantasy of playing basketball at a higher level is seemingly on life support.

Presto! Hickman comes up with an idea: he sends video tapes of himself playing ball to a variety of schools, including Temple, Hampton, Rider and his father’s alma mater, Delaware.

Ah, his father. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Remember that, because this is where the story thickens.

Decision time comes around and Hickman needs to settle on where in the world he’s going to spend the next four years of his life. Thus far, no one seems interested in his services, which is a shame, because the first person who wants him will have him.

Enter Rider.

An assistant coach, who is no longer with the team, takes a look at Hickman’s tape. He’s impressed. He tells his boss, then-head coach Don Harnum, of his discovery. Harnum stops, looks over the name twice and begins to ponder. No, his wife has not lost the checkbook, but this name – Hickman, Hickman – it rings a bell.

His father. Hickman’s father played under Harnum’s father at Delaware. The Hickmans, the Harnums, they go way back.

Soon thereafter, Harnum’s father stresses to his son that if this kid is anything like his father, you want him on your team. And, just like that, without even looking at his tape, Harnum heeds the advice of his assistant and his father and instantly makes Hickman a Bronc.

Hickman is far from star-studded material. He serves as a walk-on as a freshman and plays in only six games. He scores three points for the whole season. And you know that whole perfect free-throw shooting percentage thing? Nonexistent as he goes 1-for-2 from the line.
So, just for the record, in two full years, Hickman has collected a grand total of five points. And yet here he is a team captain.

“I got to where I am today by being myself,” said Hickman. “I work hard, a put a lot of energy on the floor and I do the things the coaches look for.”

That’s it?

“I’ve been at six different programs before and I have never seen a player like him,” said assistant coach Kevin Baggett. “He is the ideal player on and off the court, inside the classroom and out.”

So, basically, Hickman got to where he is today because … of his personality? Because he’s a nice guy? Because he’s, in many ways, an ideal role model? That’s it?

“Pretty much,” said Fischer. “He displays all the leadership qualities we are looking for. It’s perfect. Even though he may not play much, he still works to his fullest. He works well with others. He never complains. He’s unselfish and pushes himself to the max. He’s earned the respect of his coaches and of his teammates.”

OK, OK, I got it. This is starting to sound like a broken record.

“I knew that if I worked hard, if I cooperated, if I did everything that was asked of me, I would succeed,” said Hickman. “But being a captain? That I did not see.”

Well, buddy, see it. Believe it. This is your moment.

In the words of Brad Pitt in Troy, “Take it, it’s yours!”