[3] In an early-round Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class AA playoff game, Hicks had a storied face off against Ernie Kent of Rockford West High School,[4] in which he outscored the foul-plagued Kent 29–17 as part of a 60–52 victory.
[5] In the 1973 IHSA Class AA state championship tournament, Hicks, who went by the nickname Skip at that time, went 5–16 (3–12 in the second half) in scoring 13 points in the semifinal 39–33 upset loss to New Trier High School.
[8] Described as a "great leaper" with an 82-inch (208.3 cm) wingspan, Hicks' first start was on December 8, 1973, when DePaul visited Northwestern at McGaw Hall.
[10] Hicks' high school grades were below the 2.0 GPA meaning that he should have been ineligible to play as a freshman, but he was on the roster due to an oversight by head coach Ray Meyer.
[8] In his January 14, 1975, debut for Northern Illinois, he contributed 13 points off the bench including 2 overtime baskets in the 87–86 victory over Weber State.
[15] He was named MAC player of the week twice as a junior (January 28 and March 2, 1976) and three times as a senior (Jan 2, Feb 1 and 8, 1977).
[16] Hicks' younger siblings and his son Theo played high school basketball for West Aurora.