FERRUM, Va. --- Ferrum College men's basketball standout Deshone Hicks has signed a contract to play professionally with Raider Basket of Finland. On July 18, the Raiders announced the signing of Hicks, who will compete as a guard under Head Coach Besim Maxhuni.

"We are very proud that Shone has signed a professional contract with Raiders Basket," said Ferrum Head Men's Basketball Coach Patrick Corrigan.  "He has worked extremely hard and earned this opportunity through his exceptional play. He was instrumental in our improvement as a team this season and he was a huge factor in us advancing in the ODAC Tournament.  We look forward to watching Shone play and representing the Panthers this upcoming season in Finland."

Hicks is coming off a historic season statistically for the Ferrum Panthers. In 18 games during the 2022-23 season, he averaged 22.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He shot 50% from the floor, including 43% from behind the three-point line and 88% from the free throw line. Hicks earned All-Conference second team honors from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, where he led the league in assists and was second in scoring. He also helped lead Ferrum to a first round ODAC playoff win.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Hicks prepped at Riverside-Durham High School, graduating in 2018. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Ferrum in May 2023. Hicks is set to arrive in Finland and begin workouts with the Raiders in mid-August.