Community remembers former Scott County basketball coach Billy Hicks during Celebration of Life

SCOTT COUNTY, Ky (WTVQ)- In Georgetown Sunday, family, friends and school leaders gathered for a celebration of life to remember former Scott County high school basketball coach Billy Hicks.

Hicks passed away one week ago at the age of 71.

Hundreds of people filled the high school gymnasium to remember the legendary coach.

“He’s the best. I mean, everyone that knew anything about basketball in Kentucky knew Billy Hicks,” says Phill Pratt, who coached for more than 30 years.

Former Boyle County high school basketball coach Phil Pratt says he grew close with hicks. Pratt attended the celebration of life event.

“I’ve eaten with him, I’ve fished with him. I’ve played basketball against him. We were good friends. I don’t think he had an enemy in the world. Probably the most humble man that I’ve ever met. You would never know he was a basketball coach when we were fishing. It was always about fishing or if he was cooking something. He was an excellent cook,” says Pratt.

Coach Hicks became the winningest high school basketball coach in Kentucky’s history with more than 1000 wins- at Scott County High School.

“Well, the record speaks for itself. He said it one time, i would like to think i could coach a few more years. And I said ‘if I had teams that could rival the Lakers and the Celtics, at the high school level, I would probably want to coach a few more years too,” joked Pratt.

It was coach Hicks’ love for his players that Pratt says he will be remembered most for.

“He created more than just X’s and O’s. It was more about Jimmy’s and Joe’s. It was more about his kids than about anything,” says Pratt.

A community gathering to say goodbye to an icon one last time.

“One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this. In Proverbs 2:7, it says a just man walks in his integrity and his children are blessed after him. That was Billy Hicks,” says Hicks.