In the heart of every school lies a basketball gym; excitement buzzes through the air as the season rises upon the audience, and the echo of bouncing basketballs and sneakers on freshly polished floors signals a new era. The Floyd Central girls’ basketball team starts its 2024 season with a new addition to their team, and he goes by coach Jerry Hickey.
Before becoming a coach at FC, Hickey was an assistant principal and basketball coach at Salem High School, coaching the girls’ Salem Lions team before getting a call from the current girls varsity assistant coach, Blair Thompson.
“He’s spent 17 years at Salem and he’s also a good friend of mine, and when that job came open, I called him and said, ‘Hey, I think you should come down here.’ And here he is,” said Thompson.
Hickey coached the girls’ basketball team at Salem for 11 years, leading them to win four sectionals, two regionals, one semi-state, and runner-up for state finals, winning a total of 159 games.
As nerve-wracking as it is to take a new position at a different school, Fonso White, the boys’ basketball coach, knows exactly what it is like being a new coach at Floyd, but White has more than enough confidence in Hickey’s fit for the role.
“He’s a great person, a great fit for the girls, and he will help them succeed the way he needs to,” said White.
In Hickey’s eyes,a successful basketball program starts with the relationships that a coach can build with his players. He looks to maximize the team’s potential and coach the team to the best of his ability so they can play to the best of their ability. At the varsity level, the way to evaluate a team’s skill starts off with the win-loss record and then you look into the post-season and what a team achieved.
“I will set goals of winning, winning sectional, winning conference, and go from there,” said Hickey.
Although Hickey was a late hire, he has already had the chance to start creating bonds with the players and assistant coaches.
“We did take an overnight trip for a shootout, over near Cincinnati. We got to spend some time and eat some meals together and go out for ice cream,” said Hickey.
When bringing his success to FC, he has already made a better change to the girl’s basketball team in the eyes of some of the players.
“We have a more open offense this year. It gives us a lot more to just go out there and play, like it’s structured well enough to keep us moving,” said senior guard Ava Hausz.
As Hickey plays the role of shaping the dynamic and success of the team, he goes above and beyond by creating strategies for the team, building a team-working environment for the girls.
“We are nicer, we are closer, we are a better family team. We are just friends now on a level playing field,” said junior forward Brinley Clark.
Through Hickey’s unwavering commitment and passion for coaching, it all comes down to pulling everything together and bringing another victory to Floyd Central, home of the highlanders.
The girls’ first game under their new coach is Nov. 6 at Evansville Harrison.