 Sue Wicks, being honored at Rutgers-UConn game | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1966-11-26)November 26, 1966 (age 58) Center Moriches, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Susan Joy Wicks (born November 26, 1966) is a formerbasketball player in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played with theNew York Liberty from 1997 to 2002.[1] Wicks was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.[2]
Born inCenter Moriches, New York, Wicks played forRutgers University from 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 medalist in 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 championship game, losing to theHouston Comets, 65–51.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Source[4]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per 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 |
On April 28, 1997, Wicks was drafted with the 6th overall pick of the1997 WNBA Draft to 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 Sparks where 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 Comets every time. In 2002, Wicks and the Liberty returned to the Finals again, but this time, they lost toLisa Leslie and 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]
Wicks was one of the few players willing to discuss sexual orientation in theWNBA during 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]
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 Fame on 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 College inBrooklyn, 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]
Wicks was inducted in theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2013.[2] She did not have a prepared speech, but spoke extemporaneously, thankingPat Summitt for 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 theWNBA and was on the gold medal-winningUSA Basketball Pan-American Games team in 1987.[13]
