Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

WSU's Hicks discovers character after troubled past

HOWIE STALWICK, HERALD STAAFF WRITER

PULLMAN -- The Washington State defense ranks last in the nation, but only six players in the Pacific-10 Conference have been credited with more tackles than Cougar safety Xavier Hicks.

Hicks leads the Cougars with 78 tackles. Not so long ago, that's 78 more tackles than Hicks thought he would get the chance to make at WSU.

Paul Wulff had barely left the podium after being named coach at his alma mater in December 2007 when Hicks was arrested for replacing soaking solution with rubbing alcohol in the contact lens case of then-teammate Grady Maxwell. The two were roommates, and Hicks said he had grown increasingly angry about Maxwell's refusal to pay bills on time.

Obviously, Hicks' reaction was way out of line. Just as obviously, Wulff -- who pledged to get tough with players in a program that he said lacked discipline -- talked about kicking Hicks off the team.

"That was under serious consideration," Wulff said.

"I was, at the time, expecting the worst," Hicks said.

To Hicks' surprise, Wulff and his staff decided to give Hicks a second chance. To Wulff's surprise, he discovered that Hicks is not just a good football player, but a good person and teammate.

"You can tell he's there for his team," Wulff said. "Other players respect him. Since we got here, he hasn't done one thing maliciously against anybody (following the Maxwell incident)."

Hicks spent a month in jail for his misdeeds (including use of another person's debit card prior to Wulff's hiring), and he was suspended for the first three games last season.

Hicks has been arrested twice since then for driving without a valid driver's license (including on his drive home from jail). He's caused no harm to anyone, including Maxwell, who never wore his contacts after noticing they were bloated due to the rubbing alcohol.

"I think people might have that impression of me as a bad person -- not good character," Hicks said. "Which is understandable, if you're read articles on off-field incidents about me.

"I can understand those assumptions, but I think after meeting me it would probably change their view."

Teammates rush to Hicks' defense when his character is questioned.

"I think when they (outsiders) meet him, they'll realize there's more to the book than the cover," said senior quarterback Kevin Lopina, who shares an apartment with Hicks.

"He's an awesome person," senior linebacker Andy Mattingly said. "You like to put yourself around him because his personality is great. He's a lot of fun to hang around.

"Maybe people who don't know him might think he doesn't make the right decisions all the time, but nobody does. People always make mistakes. What you can take from him is he's learned from his mistakes."

Hicks learned plenty about handling adversity from his mother. Marcie Cortez gave birth to Hicks when she was just 16 on Dec. 26, 1986. Cortez soon found herself divorced and raising three sons by herself while working at as many as three jobs in the Fullerton, Calif., area.

Today, all three of Cortez's sons (the father has remained somewhat involved) attend college. Michael is a rugby player at San Diego State, and Randall is redshirting as a freshman football player at Fullerton (junior) College, where Cortez attends night classes.

Hicks, who carried a 3.5 grade point average at Fullerton High School, expects to earn his degree in ethic studies in May. The 6-foot, 219-pound senior dreams of playing in the NFL ("I think he works harder than anybody else," Lopina said), and he might pursue a coaching career once he stops playing.

Hicks said he is encouraged about the direction of the football program under Wulff and his staff. A personable sort with a toothy grin, Hicks stresses how grateful he is for the opportunity to finish his college playing career at the school he has grown to love.

"Overall, it's been a wonderful experience," Hicks said. "Except for a couple things that have happened, I wouldn't take it back for anything."

NOTES: The WSU injury report was slightly shorter and a bit less depressing than usual.

Wulff said all four of WSU's recent concussion victims have been scratched for Saturday's game at Washington. Also, starting quarterback Jeff Tuel -- all but ruled out Tuesday due to his knee injury -- appears to be a definite scratch after doing virtually nothing at practice for the second straight day.

Starting cornerback Brandon Jones jogged lightly, and Wulff said he now harbors some hope that the Seattle native will be able to play Saturday. Jones injured his back last Saturday against Oregon State.

Safety Chima Nwachukwu looks ready to go after missing three games with a sprained ankle, and defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm appears set to play after missing the Oregon State with a back injury. Wulff said neither player will start.

The concussion victims are starters B.J. Guerra (offensive guard) and Tony Thompson (tight end) and key reserves Johnny Forzani (wide receiver) and Dan Spitz (defensive tackle-end).