WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Former Winston-Salem State University Head Men's Basketball Coach Rick Duckett passed away after battling cancer on Sunday, January 6 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Duckett guided the Rams to a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) title in 1999 winning at Joel Coliseum in his first season. The Rams would go on and repeat as champions the next season winning in Raleigh at the PNC Arena.

He had one of the best runs in school history going 73-19 and winning two CIAA titles in his first two seasons. He was also named the NCAA Division II South Athletic Coach of the Year honors and the CIAA Tournament Coaches Award in 1999 and 2000.

Duckett's career also included coaching stints at Fayetteville State, Grambling State, South Carolina, and most recently Charleston Southern. He also served as an assistant coach at Jacksonville and Central Florida.
In 2012, both of Duckett's CIAA Championships teams were inducted into the C.E. Gaines Hall of Fame.

He was a Winston-Salem native and graduate of Reynolds High School who graduated in 1979  from UNC where he obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees. He was married to Letita Miller and the couple has two children, Philip and Keigan.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm Sunday, January 14, 2024, at St. Peter's Church and World Outreach Center. Interment will be held on Monday, January 15, 2024, in Pinelawn Memorial Park, Kinston, NC.
 
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Winston Journal