One of the hardest feats to accomplish in basketball is the triple-double. But the quadruple-double? That’s a rarity.
Not for Michigan freshman guard Veronica Hicks.
As a high school senior, Hicks had the game of her life.
The Thornwood (Ill.) High School product dominated her school’s archrival by finishing with an astounding 40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals.
But in her opening game as a Wolverine, Hicks played just the final six minutes of Michigan’s exhibition blowout win over Lake Superior State.
Though it’s a difficult transition going from the No. 1 option to playing garbage time, the freshman sees no reason to push the envelope.
“I don’t want to come here and just rush into things because I might not enjoy it as much or I might not do as well as I hope for,” Hicks said. “Here I get to learn the other side of basketball and see it from a different perspective, and I think that’s going to make me a whole, complete player as I get older. I think where I am right now is best for me.”
For the first time in more than a decade, the women’s basketball team features just one freshman, so Hicks is often made fun of for being just 17 years old, according to senior Krista Clement. Hicks usually strikes back, though, never intimidated by her older counterparts.
Hicks’s past gives fans reason to get excited for the program’s future. She averaged 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.9 steals in her career and was an all-state selection her senior year.
Against Lake Superior State, the 5-foot-9 guard showed off her aggressive style and scorer’s mentality when she hoisted up four shots and connected on a lay-up for her first points as a Wolverine.
Once the ball dropped through the net, the bench erupted as if Hicks had scored a game-winner.
“I was just really happy for her,” Clement said. “It was fun to see her score a basket.”
Hicks added: “The whole thing was just like I thought it’d be. I kind of dreamed about this, seen it in the past and it was that and more. Just being on the floor and finally being able to put on the uniform and actually be right there with them, it was indescribable.”
But back to the quadruple-double. Did she really did accomplish the rarest of rare feats?
“Yes I did. It was a fun day that game. I would like to repeat it one day. I hope you guys are there for that one.”