Western junior Keirah Hicks has been making the grade all season.
The former Southside Academy standout has flourished since transferring across the city this year to compete for a highly talented team on the court and against a tough curriculum in the classroom.
She?s passed both tests. She?s helped fifth-ranked Western return to the form that took the city champions to the 3A final last season, and in the classroom, proved she?s also capable of putting up impressive numbers.
“I worked hard and made the honor roll the second quarter,” the 5-foot-6 guard said. “I was real happy because the list came out and I didn?t really know what the criteria was, so when I saw my name I was like ?OK, that?s what?s up.?”
At Southside, she averaged 26.3 points, 4.7 steals and 3.8 assists per game as a sophomore. For the Doves (18-3, 12-0 Baltimore City Division II), her statistics have dipped to 9.4 points, 2.8 steals and 3.2 assists per game, but she?s won twice as many games this year as a Dove than she did as a Knight last season.
“It?s real different from Southside,” Hicks said. “I figured I have to dedicate everything to basketball and my academics. I was going to take up debate and all that stuff, but I didn?t think I could keep my head in all those areas at once.”
And that?s what the team has expected.
“She didn?t come in and try to shoot 50 times,” Western coach Tiffany Silver said. “She has come in and run the system and learned how to play real basketball and she?s beautiful. She?s a great kid and done so much in so little time.”
No one has been happier about Hicks arrival than Akeema Richards. The junior guard wants nothing more than to erase the memory of last year?s 60-42 loss to Largo in the state final ?motivating her to average 13.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 5.1 assists per game this winter.
“I was loving it when she came here,” Richards said. “I like having her on my team and not playing against her.”
In the team?s 54-44 win over seventh-ranked City this past Friday, Richards had 18 points and 15 rebounds. She punctuated the performance late in the game by being fouled in mid-air and twisting her body to make bank a shot high off the glass with her back to the basket. The move that would make some NBA all-stars applaud was simply vintage Akeema to Silver.
“It was like Kobe Bryant and that?s immediately what I thought about,” Silver said. “I don?t call that luck coming from her, she makes them look so easy.”
