‘This is for Kentucky high school basketball.’ Kentucky now has a 1,000-game winner.

Frederick Douglass boys’ basketball coach Kurt Young took a timeout with about 20 seconds left in what ended as a 70-38 defeat to Scott County. It wasn’t to talk to his team, but to recognize history before its originator had a chance to shy away from the moment.

Cardinals head coach Billy Hicks won his 1,000th game — as recognized by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association — with his team’s victory over the Broncos on Thursday night. Young handed Hicks the game ball and officials put another ball into play to finish out the game.

Hicks’ official career record now sits at 1,000-273. He is the 19th boys’ basketball coach in U.S. history to reach 1,000 wins and the first Kentucky head coach to ever manage the feat.

There is some dispute over Hicks’ actual win total. He contends that all 10 wins that were later stricken from his first season as a head coach — the 1978-79 season at Evarts — should count, which means he would have reached 1,000 wins in late December; the KHSAA and Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches do not recognize them.

Regardless of which measure you follow, Kentucky now has a 1,000-game winner in its storied high school basketball history. Hicks appeared to choke up briefly in a postgame media scrum when asked about the significance of that.

“This is for Kentucky high school basketball,” Hicks said. “Whether it’s this week or two weeks ago or whatever, this is about the dream that, you know, of other coaches out there living, just like me, growing up and coaching basketball and living the dream. I feel embarrassed being recognized by it ‘cause I’m just doing my job to pay the bills, make a living and raise a family. Any kind of award or honor like this, it’s very cumulative and involves hundreds and hundreds of people, on both sides of that.”

Hicks continued with a laugh: “If it hadn’t been for some certain coaches in the mountains I’d probably have 2,000 wins by now.”

Thursday’s win was like so many others in Hicks’ time at Scott County: suffocating. The Cardinals allowed only five made field goals to the Broncos, who ended with more turnovers (25) than shot attempts (24). Glenn Covington led Scott County in scoring with 16 points but four Cardinals finished in double figures — Bryce Long (12), Diablo Stewart (12) and Lorenzo Williams (10) joined him.

“This is a big district win and we’ve got another big one at Bryan Station tomorrow night,” Hicks said.

Former players, coaches and fans are encouraged to come celebrate Hicks’ milestone victory from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Galvin’s Restaurant in Georgetown.

This story was originally published January 24, 2019 at 10:03 PM.