Ricky Hickman
Richard Marciano " Ricky" Hickman Jr. ( born September 1, 1985 in Winston- Salem, North Carolina ) is an American professional basketball player. After completing his studies in his home country Hickman began a career as a professional basketball player in Europe, where he played in Romania, near Giessen 46ers in Germany, Finland and Italy. Since the 2012/13 season Hickman plays for Israeli champion Maccabi Tel Aviv series, for which he competes in the highest European club competition ULEB Euro League. 2013 Hickman took to the Georgian citizenship and took part in his new adopted country with their national team at the European Championship finals in 2013, but in the one resigned in the first group stage after five games.
Career
After high school graduation in Kernersville, where he player Chris Oliver went along with the subsequent Basketball League (BBL ) to school, Hickman moving in 2003 to study at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the same U.S. state, where he played for the college team Spartans in Southern Conference of the NCAA. Among his teammates were temporarily inter alia, the subsequent BBL player Ronald Burrell and Kyle Hines. Along with these players Hickman can be found in the major categories for Karrierebestleistungen among the top ten players of the Spartans, he is also the best " ball thief " of all time the Spartans. Nevertheless, the Spartans were able to qualify during Hickman's active time for any finals tournament of the NCAA.
2007 Hickman began a career as a professional in Europe, where he played first for the Hungarian Association of Pécs. Then he signed in November 2007, a contract with the Romanian club from Otopeni, where he completed eleven games. The following season, he was early in the season, initially without contract and stayed with his school friend Chris Oliver in Göttingen with the reserve team of BG 74 Göttingen in the regional fit, before going on the recommendation of his former coach Keith Gatlin a sample contract with the German first division casting 46ers in Basketball Bundesliga 2008/ 09 got. Hickman's contract was extended until the end of the season though, still the Giessen finished the season as the table next to last on the relegation zone. While the Giessen reached the league to acquire a wild card, Hickman did not get a new contract.
For the 2009/10 season Hickman joined together with Corey Rouse in the Finnish Korisliiga to Namika from Lahti. While Hickman was top scorer of the Finnish League, but the team reached with nearly balanced record this season only a ninth place among twelve clubs. Then Hickman was the end of April 2010 still committed to the ascension play-offs in the second Italian league Legadue by the association of Casale Monferrato. In the semifinal series, however, they lost the last two games, after they had previously located with two wins in three games in the lead, against the eventual play-off winners and Movers Dinamo Basket Sassari. In the following season Hickman won together with, among others, Oluoma Nnamaka and Folarin Campbell as main round first the play-offs for promotion to the top flight. As the " Most Valuable Player " ( MVP ) of the Legadue 2010/11 changed Hickman but the newly promoted to the new Premier League rivals from Pesaro's Lega Basket Serie A. In the play-offs for the championship in 2012 could still be after two opening defeats in the first round the previous runner- Bennet Cantù hold down before you retired in the semifinal series against EA7 Armani Milan.
In the season 2012/13 Hickman then signed a contract with the Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv series, with which he in 2012/13 also competes in the highest European club competition ULEB Euro League. Maccabi difference in the second group stage of the 16 best teams and lost quite surprising as defending the national championship final against Maccabi Haifa. Even with the Georgian national team, it was not as desired, and after just one win in five group games would retire at the European Championship finals in 2013 for early Hickman.