Marquetta Dickens cannot quite remember the play, but as she crashed the boards to grab yet another offensive rebound against Georgia Tech, her coach looked on in bewilderment.
“Q” had been called for a foul.
While lying on the ground, Dickens grabbed her head and was slow to get up. She had to be subbed out to get her head checked and missed about 12 minutes of playing time.
“I’m not really sure what happened,” Dickens said. “All I remember is going for an offensive rebound and getting hit; I don’t really remember anything else.”
Despite the throbbing headache, Dickens returned to the game in the second half, and she finished the game with 13 points on five-of-eight shooting and eight rebounds.
It was later found out that the headache was due to a concussion, which caused Dickens to miss N.C. State’s next game at Clemson.
The team voted Dickens as the MVP of last season in just her sophomore year as she scored an average 8.3 points per game and grabbed 5.3 rebounds. She also surpassed the halfway mark to scoring 1,000 points at State with 11 games in double-figures in scoring.
“‘Q’ brings us physical play on the perimeter,” coach Kay Yow said. “We really need that strong body and the ability to put it on the floor and attack the basket with strength and size. She really means a lot to us.”
Dickens got her start in nearby Tarboro at a very young age, and she has been in love with the game ever since.
“I made my first layup when I was about five, and then from there I started to play in leagues,” Dickens said. “Even though I was like the only girl, I just thought it was really fun and I was good at it, so I stuck with it.”
Coming from Tarboro is an important part of Dickens’ life, and it is a fact she never lets anyone forget. Her former roommate, Ashley Key, jokes about how much the team hears of it.
“It’s a small town and nobody has really been to Tarboro before. I never forget where I came from — that’s where I was born and raised,” Dickens said.
“Most of my teammates are from a big city, I’m from a little country town called Tarboro so I always got to rep where I’m coming from. No place like home.”
After four high school team MVP awards, a national, four straight conference and tournament titles and being named 2-A Ms. Basketball of North Carolina, Dickens had a choice of colleges to attend, and State won out largely due to Yow.
“At first maybe I came here because of coach Yow,” Dickens said. “It was such a friendly atmosphere, but N.C. State is such a great school for academics as well. Then with coach Yow being the coach she is and the person she is, I think I had a really great chemistry before I even got here.”
While excelling at State, Dickens is majoring in parks, recreation and tourism and hopes to continue playing basketball after graduation. After her basketball ventures end, Dickens sees a career in business on the horizon.
“Hopefully there won’t be an after basketball. Hopefully, I’ll be around basketball for a long time but after college I just want to do my thing and hopefully make it to the WNBA, or play over seas,” Dickens said. “After basketball, I just want to work to invest my money wisely, open my own businesses and give back to my community first and foremost. That’s what I want to do.”
Until that day, Dickens will continue to be the first to show up for workouts and pick-up games and work hard to accomplish her one and only goal.
“Talent-wise, we have a team that can compete for a national championship. Until we have a title, I don’t think I’ve got any great accomplishments,” Dickens said.
