Hicks helping squad play on

Mercedes wins to reach rec hoops finals

By: Bob Nuse
   Jake and Elwood Blues dreamed of getting the band back together.
   Ryan Stein wanted to get the basketball team back together. So the Lawrence High graduate called on former teammates like Duane and Vernon Hicks, helping form the nucleus of the Mercedes Benz team that captured the regular season championship of the Princeton Recreation Men’s Summer Basketball League.
   "I played with Stein and I’ve known these guys since we were 8 or 9 years old," said Duane Hicks, who scored 10 points on Friday night to help Mercedes to a 53-46 win over Dr. Palmer/Princeton Orthopedics in the playoff semifinals. "They really wanted me to come back and play with them this year. I’ve been coming here and playing with these guys. We’ve played together a long time and we play well together as a team because we know each other. We know everybody’s strengths and we have no egos. We just want to win."
   The win on Friday night put Mercedes into the best-of-three championship series against Koehler & Company, which defeated Tee-2-Green, 61-46, in the other semifinal on Friday. The championship series was scheduled to begin Monday night and will continue Wednesday and, if necessary, Friday night. All games are scheduled for 8 p.m. at Community Park in Princeton.
   Hicks, who currently lives in Philadelphia, is a 2000 graduate of Lawrence High. He went to Hagerstown (Md.) Junior College and now works for a drug recovery program in Philadelphia. He played in the Sonny Hill League last summer, but makes the trip up to Princeton two or three nights a week to play with his cousin and former teammates.
   "I know what I can bring to the team," Duane said. "I can handle the ball and I can score some. Vernon is still in Lawrence and all my family is still here. So I come up here a lot. All my friends are here.
   "I wanted to play again with Vernon. He won the league last year with Where2ball.com and he wants to win it again this year. I hope I can help him win it."
   Stein didn’t play last year due to a knee injury, so the Lawrence players scattered. But now they’re back together and looking to win a league championship. Mercedes suffered its only loss of the season to Koehler & Company, but has bounced back and won every game since heading into Monday night.
   "We went back to our strength with our zone and hopefully that will help us," Hicks said. "I know a lot of those guys and they have a real good team."
   In the win on Friday night, Stein led the way with 12 points, while Nick Wilson and Keith Dundas also had 10 apiece in a balanced effort. Brad Billmeier had 17 points and Pierre Downing added 13 in the loss. In the other semi, Derick Grant scored 35 points and Anthony Brown added 14 to lead second-seeded Koehler & Company. Gary Wilson had 18, while Mike Scott and Antonio Stapleton added 13 apiece in the loss.
   Once this season ends, Hicks will start looking for another outlet for his basketball. And he’s hoping to end up with something close to his current home in Philadelphia.
   "They have some semi-pro leagues in Philadelphia and I want to try to play in one of those," Hicks said. "There are some winter leagues and I just want to keep playing as much as I can."
   But first, he has to see if he and the old gang get come together and win a championship in Princeton.
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   Last week the league announced its annual all-star teams. Players must have played in at least half of their team’s games to be eligible.
   The All-League First Team includes Shahid Abdul-Karim (Where2Ball.com), Scott Findlay (George’s Roasters & Ribs), Derick Grant (Koehler & Company), Ryan Stein (Mercedes Benz of Princeton) and Reggie Wright (Tee-2-Green).
   The All-League Second Team includes Chris Edwards (Coldwell Banker), Vernon Hicks (Mercedes), Gyl Vaught (Dr. Palmer), Bryan Wilson (Where2Ball.com) and Gary Wilson (Tee-2-Green).
   The All-League Third Team includes Brad Billmeier (Dr. Palmer), Wanny Carter (Koehler & Company), Duane Hicks (Mercedes), Toussaint Davis (Cool Runnings), Jeff Harris (Coldwell Banker) and Mike Scott (Tee-2-Green).
   Honorable Mention went to Mark Aziz (George’s Roasters & Ribs), Pierre Downing (Dr. Palmer), Mike Douglas (Princeton Youth Sports), Freddy Young (Tee-2-Green) and Kyle Carmichael (Dr. Palmer).
   The All-Underrated Team included Colin Kirkley (Coldwell Banker), Brian Dunlap (PYS), Jay Curtis (Where2Ball.com), Nick Palmieri (Where2Ball.com), Doug Christian (Koehler & Company) and Keith Dundas (Mercedes).
   The All-Gunner Team included Nigel Robinson (Where2Ball.com), Derick Grant (Koehler & Company), Bryan Petrone (Tee-2-Green), Joe Marrolli (Free Agent), Anthony Brown (Koehler & Company), Joe Rogers (PYS), Reggie Wright (Tee-2-Green), Mark Rosenthal (Coldwell Banker), Mike Douglas (PYS) and Kevin Wyers (George’s Roasters & Ribs).
   The Coach/General Manager of the Year was Ryan Stein of Mercedes Benz of Princeton. The Most Improved Player was Vernon Hicks of Mercedes Benz of Princeton.