Northwest mourns passing of former basketball standout Marcus Hicks
Played for Rangers from 1996-98
Credit: Northwest Mississippi Community College Sports Information
Former Northwest Mississippi Community College and Ole Miss men’s basketball standout Marcus Hicks passed away at the age of 45 on Monday, May 29.
During his two-year stint at Northwest, Hicks set the school record with 169 blocked shots, a milestone that remains intact to this day. He also scored 1,108 career points, which ranks fifth all-time, along with 624 total rebounds, which ranks third all-time.
Other record categories for Hicks include average blocked shots (2.6; 1st), free throws made (257; 3rd), average rebounds (9.5; 4th) and field goals made (417; 4th). During his Northwest career, he also logged two 30-point games and finished two games with 20 points and 20 rebounds, a feat that has only been done eight times in program history.
Hicks was a First Team NJCAA All-American pick in 1998, helping guide the Rangers to the Final Four of the NJCAA National Tournament, which still remains the farthest that Northwest has advanced in any postseason run. He was also named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team, while picking up All-MACJC and All-NJCAA Region 23 honors.
After Northwest, Hicks joined Ole Miss to close out his collegiate career, averaging 13 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Rebels. His senior campaign was his best scoring season, as Hicks increased his scoring average from 11.7 to 14.3 points per game, while also increasing his average assists to 1.8 per game.
One of Hicks’ most notable performances came in the 1999 NCAA Tournament opener for Ole Miss, where he led the team with 21 points and made nine of his 10 shot attempts. The Rebels went on to defeat Villanova, 72-70, capturing the program’s first-ever victory in the Big Dance.
Hicks played in a total of 66 games with the Rebels between 1998-2000, shooting 55 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the free throw line. He finished with 374 career boards, 94 assists and 71 blocks, as Ole Miss posted a record of 41-27 over that two-year span.
