High school basketball player in Antioch leads league in scoring, surpasses 1,200 career points

Cornerstone Christian School Basketball Team #10 player Devin Hicks, Antioch, Ca.,Feb.12. by Cathie Lawrence

Cornerstone Christian School Basketball team player #10 Devin Hicks, Antioch, Ca.,Feb.12, 2016. photo by Cathie Lawrence

Cornerstone Christian boys’ basketball has best season in program history

By Luke Johnson

Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian High School senior guard Devon Hicks was born with tight tendons in his hands, which makes him unable to fully extend some of his fingers on each hand. Despite that, Hicks leads the Small School Bridge Athletic League in scoring with 22.4 points per game.

“Some people look at it as a birth defect, but I look at it as motivation to get better,” Hicks said.

Thinking with positive mindset was not always easy for Hicks. He found himself frustrated at times attempting to perform simple tasks such as catching a ball. But he said he was able to persevere through his faith in God.

“I know God has a better plan for me,” Hicks said. “There are people out there who have it far worse… When I was little I sometimes questioned why it happened to me. But as I got older I realized instead of quitting to just keep working hard… That’s my motto.”

On Senior Night, the school presented Hicks with an honor of being Cornerstone Boys All Time Scoring Leader with 1,249 points and All Time Leader Three-Points Made with 182. He’s also a two-time recipient of All SSBL Honors.

In his freshman year, Cornerstone did not have a boys’ varsity basketball program because there were not enough players to fill the roster minimum of six. According to Pastor Steve Miner, the school has approximately 60 students grades 9-12, and less than half of them are male. Fast forward to the present — the team is having its winningest season with a 16-5 record, and earned a Division-VI North Coast Section Playoff berth for the first time in program history.

“It feels unreal, because I started out literally begging people to play,” he said. “I just want to set this up for future years to come at Cornerstone.”

Hicks is the only senior on team, and will soon leave behind a legacy that has encouraged the underclassmen to step up their game.

“He’s an inspiration to all of us by his work ethic, his good attitude [and] his sense of humor. He’s a good kid,” coach Ezra Hunter said.

The Cougars could not have reached this level of success if it were not for Hicks’s right-hand man, Amari Simmons. The 6-foot-2 junior ranks number one in NCS in rebounds with 11.2 per game, and is also among the top scorers with 19.7 points per game.

The postseason begins Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Cornerstone will start off by traveling 282 miles north to face Ferndale High School (15-10) in the first round of NCS.

Cornerstone is located at 1745 East 18th Street in Antioch.

 


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One Comment to “High school basketball player in Antioch leads league in scoring, surpasses 1,200 career points”

  1. John Crowder says:

    Great story. As his coach states, young Mr. Hicks is, indeed, an inspiration. Continuing to live by his motto will take him far in life.

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