Hicks knew ‘quiet’ Pietrowski would be a winner

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March 15, 2010

Anonymous The Times-Tribune The Times-Tribune Mon Mar 15, 2010, 09:12 AM EDT

CORBIN — By Les Dixon / Sports Editor

When Tony Pietrowski replaced Mike Deaton as head coach at Corbin High School in 2001, his former coach, Billy Hicks, knew Pietrowski would be a successful one.

“I knew he had it in him,” Hicks said. “You could see that he was a natural ball player and he grew up around basketball, you just knew, if he wanted to coach that he could do it. Man, he just provides a big spark whether it is when he’s playing or coaching.”

Hicks said having Pietrowski as a player was a plus because it was like having a second coach on the floor.

“Any time you can have a player that can help you on the floor like that, it’s big,” Hicks said. “We all know what type of a player Tony was and now he’s just as successful as a head coach.”

But Hicks did have a concern.

“Shoot, Tony was a very quiet ball player, so you really never knew what was going on in his head,” Hicks said. “I guess you could say he was quiet, but deadly, and he was always a winner. I bet when he played for me at Corbin, we won 90 to 95 percent of our games — he’s just a winner.”

And, Pietrowski has shown he’s a winner as a coach, too.

He’s captured 200 wins and three 13th Region titles, while guiding the Redhounds to consecutive regional crowns for the first time in 58 years.

“Tony is just a smart guy,” Hicks said. “He was a smart kid when he played ball and he just knows the game. I know I’ve said this before, but I really wish we would be meeting each other in the state title game next week instead of the first round.

“The big thing is that he’s already proved that he’s a good coach and if he keeps at this long enough, he’s going to go down as one of the best coaches in state history,” Hicks added.

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