Jim Hicks is putting away his fishing gear and catching rattlesnakes for a good reason.
The former Shelby Valley boys’ basketball coach is returning to the bench next season.
Hicks, who led the Wildcats from 2013-20, was introduced as the new head girls’ coach at Johnson Central High School on Thursday.
“I realized I didn’t want to be a principal, I wanted to return to coaching,” he said. “And, let me make one thing clear, this is my final coaching job. I do not care who comes calling.”
JC Athletic Director Tommy McKenzie said the school was looking for a coach who, “wanted to be here.”
“This was a long, drawn-out process,” he said. “The thing that stuck out in my mind and the board members is he made it clear to us he wanted to be here.”
His head coaching record over 19 years is 345 wins and 196 losses, which also includes stints at Owsley, Greenup, Bath, and Grant counties.
Hicks, who will soon be turning 51, said, “basketball is where his passion and love is.”
His uncle is former Scott County Bill Hicks, Kentucky’s winningest high school coach.
His wife, Mellanie, is an educator as well. They have one daughter, 11-year-old Addison Jo.