Sue Wicks
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Center Moriches, New York,U.S. | November 26, 1966||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 174 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Center Moriches (Center Moriches, New York) | ||||||||||||||
College | Rutgers(1984–1988) | ||||||||||||||
WNBA draft | 1997:1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by theNew York Liberty | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1997–2002 | ||||||||||||||
Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||
Number | 23 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
1997–2002 | New York Liberty | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Rutgers hall of distinguished alumni, Ranked the second greatest athlete in Rutgers history only behind the legendary Paul Robeson, Suffolk county hall of fame, Nassau county hall of fame, New York State high school hall of fame Rutgers sports hall of fame 2023 New Jersey Hall of fame New York City hall of fame by CUNY New York Liberty Ring of Honor A true pride pioneer Wicks was the first team player to come out as gay in 2001 - this story is highlighted in the documentary “unfinished business “ | |||||||||||||||
Statsat Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Susan Joy Wicks(born November 26, 1966) is a formerbasketballplayer in theWomen's National Basketball Association(WNBA). She played with theNew York Libertyfrom 1997 to 2002.[1]Wicks was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Famein 2013.[2]Sue now works in aquaculture on Long Island continuing her family 400 year legacy on working on the water
Early years
[edit]Born inCenter Moriches, New York,Wicks played forRutgers Universityfrom 1984 to 1988. While at Rutgers, she was named a Kodak All-American in 1986, 1987 and 1988, and in 1988 she won the Naismith, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Women's Basketball News Service and Street & Smith's National Player of the Year awards. She was Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1986, 1987 and 1988, winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP award in 1986 and 1988, and sharing it in 1987. She also was named to All-Regional Teams in the NCAA tournament in 1986 and 1987. She holds the Rutgers records for points scored (2,655), rebounds (1,357), scoring average (21.2 ppg), rebounding average (10.9 rpg), field goals made (1,091) and attempted (2,099), free throws made (473) and attempted (641), and blocked shots (293). The scoring and rebounding totals are records for a male or female player at Rutgers.
She was agold medalistin the 1987Pan-American Games.[3]
Following her college career, she played professionally in Italy, Japan, Spain and Israel before the WNBA was founded. In 1997, she was signed for the inaugural WNBA season by the New York Liberty, to fill the role of back-up center. The Liberty played at theWNBA championshipgame, losing to theHouston Comets,65–51.
Career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Reboundsper game |
APG | Assistsper game | SPG | Stealsper game | BPG | Blocksper game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnoversper game | FG% | Field-goalpercentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goalpercentage | FT% | Free-throwpercentage |
Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
WNBA
[edit]Regular season
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | New York | 28 | 0 | 11.9 | 35.5 | 28.6 | 66.7 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 3.6 |
1998 | New York | 30 | 0 | 14.8 | 43.0 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 4.3 |
1999 | New York | 32 | 30 | 29.3 | 40.3 | 13.3 | 61.5 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 6.8 |
2000 | New York | 32 | 12 | 21.3 | 38.5 | 20.0 | 72.6 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 4.9 |
2001 | New York | 30 | 3 | 20.1 | 46.9 | 0.0 | 67.3 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 5.2 |
2002 | New York | 30 | 0 | 14.3 | 34.3 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.2 |
Career | 6 years, 1 team | 182 | 45 | 18.8 | 40.2 | 13.2 | 69.4 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 4.5 |
Playoffs
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | New York | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
1999 | New York | 6 | 6 | 29.0 | 37.0 | 40.0 | 66.7 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 7.0 |
2000 | New York | 7 | 0 | 18.7 | 34.6 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 3.3 |
2001 | New York | 6 | 0 | 19.7 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 4.7 |
2002 | New York | 8 | 0 | 12.0 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 85.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.6 |
Career | 5 years, 1 team | 29 | 6 | 18.3 | 39.5 | 57.1 | 80.0 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
College
[edit]Source[4]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goalpercentage | 3P% | 3-point field goalpercentage | FT% | Free throwpercentage |
RPG | Reboundsper game | APG | Assistsper game | SPG | Stealsper game |
BPG | Blocksper game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Rutgers | 28 | 417 | 50.7% | NA | 60.5% | 8.8 | 1.5 | NA | NA | 14.9 |
1986 | Rutgers | 33 | 719 | 54.3% | NA | 72.7% | 10.1 | 2.5 | NA | NA | 21.8 |
1987 | Rutgers | 33 | 726 | 50.1% | NA | 75.8% | 12.2 | 2.5 | NA | NA | 22.0 |
1988 | Rutgers | 31 | 793 | 52.6% | 0.0% | 81.2% | 12.1 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 25.6° |
Career | 125 | 2655 | 52.0% | 0.0% | 73.8% | 10.9 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 21.2 |
WNBA career
[edit]On April 28, 1997, Wicks was drafted with the 6th overall pick of the1997 WNBA Draftto theNew York Liberty.She would go on to play 6 seasons in theWNBA,all 6 of them being a member of the Liberty.[5]Her debut game was played on June 21, 1997, in a 67–57 victory over theLos Angeles Sparkswhere she recorded 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 block.
Wicks mostly came off the bench for the Liberty but did start 45 of 182 regular season games, including 30 starts (out of 32 games played) in 1999. Wicks starting in 1999 was due in part to her defensive skills. She developed into a fan favorite and was voted by the fans as a starter in the2000 WNBA all-star game.In 2000, she received the WNBA's top award for sportsmanship, theKim Perrot Sportsmanship Award.
In 1997, 1999 and 2000, Wicks and the Liberty reached theWNBA Finals,only to be beaten by theHouston Cometsevery time. In 2002, Wicks and the Liberty returned to the Finals again, but this time, they lost toLisa Leslieand theLos Angeles Sparks.After being defeated in the 2002 Finals, Wicks would not play in the WNBA again, as she announced her retirement on April 29,2003.[6]Her final WNBA game was Game 2 of the 2002 Finals on August 31, 2002. The Liberty lost the championship game to the Sparks 66 - 69 with Wicks recording 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal.
In 182 WNBA games played, Wicks scored 823 points, for a total of 4.5 points per game, had 182 assists for one assist per game, recovered 788 rebounds, for a total of 4.3 per game, and had 158 blocks, for a total of 0.90 blocks per game. She finished her WNBA career as the number eight leader of all times in shots blocked.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Wicks was one of the few players willing to discuss sexual orientation in theWNBAduring her career. She said, "I can't say how many players are gay... but it would be easier to count the straight ones."[8]She also said she found it "annoying" that the league almost exclusively promoted those who were mothers. "I like it when they give insight into athletes, and I think it's great when they say, 'Here's a player and her husband and baby.' But I'd love to see a couple of women profiled, too, especially if they had a great, solid relationship, just to show that in a positive light."[8]
In 2002, she came out as gay, making her the first openly gay person playing in the WNBA.[9]
Coaching career
[edit]Since retiring from professional basketball, Wicks formed an all-girls basketball camp inNew York City.In 2004, she completed her bachelor's degree at Rutgers and was hired as the Coordinator of Operations for the Rutgers women's basketball team. In 2005, she was named an assistant coach of the team.
Wicks was inducted into theSuffolk Sports Hall of Fameon Long Island in the Basketball Category with the Class of 1991. She was inducted into the Rutgers Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994[10]and was inducted into the university's Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2005. She is one of only two Rutgers women's basketball players to have her jersey retired.
In July 2006, she became the Assistant Coach for the women's basketball team atSaint Francis CollegeinBrooklyn, New York.[10]After leaving her assistant coaching position at Saint Francis College, Wicks said that she felt that being an out lesbian was an overwhelming liability in getting a job as a women's basketball coach.[11]
Hall of Fame
[edit]Wicks was inducted in theWomen's Basketball Hall of Famein June 2013.[2]She did not have a prepared speech, but spoke extemporaneously, thankingPat Summittfor her leadership in the formation of the Hall of Fame.[12]Her credentials included selection as a Kodak All-American three times, and the record-holder of career points and rebounds at Rutgers, records which had not been surpassed by any male or female players at Rutgers at the time of the induction. She also played professionally in theWNBAand was on the gold medal-winningUSA BasketballPan-American Games team in 1987.[13]
References
[edit]- ^Whiteside, Kelly (22 August 2021)."At 25, Liberty Celebrate 'Magical Moment' in Women's Basketball".New York Times.Retrieved2021-11-23.
- ^ab"Sue Wicks".Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.Retrieved2021-11-23.
- ^"Tenth Pan American Games -- 1987".USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2015.Retrieved15 October2015.
- ^"Women's Basketball Finest"(PDF).fs.ncaa.org.Retrieved2017-10-03.
- ^"Sue Wicks Player Info".wnba.com.WNBA. Archived fromthe originalon December 29, 2014.RetrievedJune 1,2014.
- ^"LIBERTY: Liberty Forward Sue Wicks Retires".
- ^"Sue Wicks Bio".WNBA.com. 1998-04-26. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-05-23.Retrieved2013-12-05.
- ^abSolomon, Alisa (August 8, 2000),"Sue Wicks's Forward Behavior",The Village Voice,p. 2,retrievedFebruary 8,2010
- ^Sport in a Changing World,by Howard Nixon II, published by Routledge on July 24, 2015, pg. 76. Google Books, Accessed 17 June 2022.
- ^abHenson, Joaquin (July 9, 2009),"Ex-WNBA star joins Spoelstra's RP tour",The Philippine Star,retrievedFebruary 8,2010[permanent dead link]
- ^Cyphers, Luke; Fagan, Kate (January 26, 2011)."Unhealthy climate".ESPN.ESPN.RetrievedJune 1,2014.
- ^Cornelius, Maria M. (June 9, 2013)."Six enter Women's Basketball HOF".ESPN.Retrieved9 Jun2013.
- ^"They're the class of 2013".ESPN. June 7, 2013.Retrieved9 Jun2013.
External links
[edit]- Official Site
- WNBA Player File page for Sue Wicks
- 2003 WNBA Press Release on Sue Wicks' retirement
- St. Francis Hires Sue Wicks
https://www.newsday.com/amp/sports/basketball/liberty/sue-wicks-pride-month-jts0up5v
https://www.curvemag.com/blog/sports/top-influential-lesbian-athletes/
- 1966 births
- Living people
- All-American college women's basketball players
- American women's basketball coaches
- American women's basketball players
- Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Basketball players at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball
- Centers (basketball)
- LGBTQ basketball players
- LGBTQ people from New York (state)
- American lesbian sportswomen
- New York Liberty draft picks
- New York Liberty players
- People from Center Moriches, New York
- Sportspeople from Brookhaven, New York
- Basketball players from Suffolk County, New York
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball coaches
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players
- WNBA All-Stars
- United States women's national basketball team players