Dr. John Wiley Bryson is the author of the new book “Billy: Coach. Leader. Legend. Friend.” which tells the story of Billy Hicks, Kentucky’s winningest high school basketball coach. Billy is the powerful biography of a man whose impact stretched far beyond the scoreboard and into locker rooms, living rooms, and lives across the state of Kentucky.

On this episode Mike & John discuss the life and coaching legacy of Billy Hicks, Kentucky’s all-time winningest high school coach. Bryson explains how research, interviews, and memories from former players, colleagues, and family members came together to tell Hicks’s story. The conversation examines how Hicks’s upbringing and early coaching experiences shaped his approach, including his emphasis on fast play, man-to-man defense, preparation, and personal relationships with players. It also reflects on the pressures of Kentucky high school basketball, Hicks’s rivalry and respect with Bobby Keith, and the joys and heartbreaks of coaching alongside his family. Throughout, the episode asks what makes a coach’s influence last beyond wins: the people they develop, the culture they create, and the stories others continue to tell.

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You will want to have a notebook by your side as you listen to this episode with Dr. John Wiley Bryson, the author of the new book “Billy: Coach. Leader. Legend. Friend.”

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Email - jwileybryson@gmail.com

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