KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Head coach Bernie Driscoll and the Kutztown University men's basketball program will be without a familiar face on the coaching staff beginning this season, following the retirement of long-time assistant coach Rick Hicks. Driscoll has promoted KU alum and Hall of Famer Bilal Salaam to the second assistant, and added Scott Blair to his staff.
 
Hicks steps down after 11 years on the bench at KU. He assisted Driscoll and top assistant Tom York in winning six Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East titles, four PSAC championship games, and four NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Hicks was a point guard at West Chester University from 1987-91, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2003. His first season was also the first for Driscoll as the top assistant for the Golden Rams. Hicks was a three-time All-PSAC player, holds the school-record for career assists (455), and is the school's all-time leader in assists per game average (4.5). Also, Hicks is ranked 11th in all-time scoring with 1,362 points, third with 190 steals and seventh with 351 free throws.
 
"Ricky has been an integral part of our program for the past 11 years," said Driscoll. "He has done an outstanding job with Coach York making our guard-play some of the best in the PSAC. Ricky always gets the best out of our team, whether it is a practice or a game. I will certainly miss him this season."
 
Hicks' son, Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech), is a rising senior on the team this season. He played in 28 games as a junior, making one start and averaged a career-high 3.5 points per game. Hicks also excels in the classroom, earning Dean's List Honors and last month was recognized as a member of the 2018 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court.
 
Salaam, a 2013 KU Hall of Fame inductee, enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Kutztown University men's basketball team in 2018-19, after serving as a volunteer last season.
 
Salaam had a standout career on the Keystone Arena floor. He was a four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East selection, including first team honors in his senior season in 2005. He was named the PSAC East Player of the Year as a senior, when he set career highs in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
 
Salaam set both the KU and PSAC career shot blocking record and finished third all-time in Division II with 408 blocks. He also established a school-record for career rebounds with 980 and is eighth all-time with 1,342 points. His 313 made free throws rank second all-time at KU and his 11 blocks in a single game are a school record. Salaam notched 35 career double-doubles and Kutztown's only two triple-doubles.
 
"Bilal brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team," Driscoll said. "I am looking forward to Bilal working with our post players and making them some of the best in the PSAC."
 
Blair will be a new addition to the staff, but a familiar face to the program, returning after coaching at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, N.Y. He is a graduate of KU and got his start in coaching under Driscoll as a graduate intern during the 2004-05 season, and then as an assistant coach the following year.
 
"Scott returns to the Kutztown men's basketball staff after his stint as the head men's basketball coach at SUNY-ESF," said Driscoll. "I am excited having Scott return to KU this year. He is an outstanding coach, who will be an asset to our program."
 
Kutztown qualified for its 15th PSAC Tournament appearance in the last 16 seasons last year. The Golden Bears reached the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season, finishing with a 21-7 record and winning their opening round playoff game at home over Bloomsburg.