Penn basketball preview: Spotlight on Tony Hicks

Penn junior guard Tony Hicks

Hometown: South Holland, Ill.

High school: St. Rita

Last season's stats: Averaged 14.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds in 28 minutes per game.

Career highlights: Scored a career-high 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting, dished out five assists and collected two steals before the second half was halfway done in a win over Niagara last season ... Opened the season with 28 points as Penn pushed Temple to the wire. The next game, a win against Monmouth, he grabbed a career-best eight rebounds ... Led Penn with 21 double-figure scoring games ... Was All-Ivy honorable mention as a freshman in 2012-13.

What they are saying: "He knows what it's going to take for us to be successful in terms of executing the details, staying in the moment, playing the right way, not turning the ball over, all those things," Penn coach Jerome Allen said. "The one thing that's been consistent in him pushing forward on the timeline is that he's probably our hardest-working player in terms of the amount of time spent in the gym. It may not be that he has to carry the scoring load. It might be that he has to be a little bit more selfless in terms of allowing the other guys to grow and develop and make mistakes, and not try to be the hero early."

What he's saying: "I'm taking on the role of, knowing that I have been the leading scorer and guys are going to focus on me, to just try and get my teammates involved a lot more and just know, when I draw two [defenders] there's an open man. Our goal every year is to win an Ivy championship, so we can't let what the peripheral says about us dictate what we're going to do. We just try to let it motivate us to strive for better."

Something you didn't know about Hicks: "I walk around campus a lot with my headphones on, but I'm actually pretty talkative once you get to know me, and I love music, all types of music. I really couldn't even say I have a favorite; I listen to so much music. I guess I would say Drake if I had to choose one artist.

"I watch a lot of film, I love watching basketball. I like 'Real Husbands of Hollywood.' That's one of my go-to shows on Netflix. Other than that, I sleep a lot, eat a lot, just regular stuff."