New York, May 28, 2003 -- When asked about her playing days with the New York Liberty, the first thing that came out of Sue Wicks mouth was “amazing.” However, on April 29, 2003, Sue Wicks said goodbye to the team she has been a part of for six seasons and officially announced her retirement.
The team leader in blocked shots (155) and rebounds (788), Wicks, 36, knew it was time to move on. She had been contemplating retirement for a couple of years, but was always talked out of it.
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Sue Wicks spent six seasons with New York after being the first Liberty player drafted in the 1997 inaugural draft. Nathaniel S. Butler WNBAE/Getty Images |
Although the team has added younger talent in 31-year-old Elena Baranova, Liberty coach Richie Adubato knows that a vital part of his team is missing.
“Sue is the type of player every coach wishes they had – she did the big things well and the little things even better,” he said. “To Sue, it was always all about how her contributions on the court were going to help the team and how her leadership in the locker room was going to inspire her teammates. Sue is the consummate professional and leaves some very big shoes to fill. She will be missed.”
Wicks was the first Liberty player to be drafted (sixth overall) in the 1997 inaugural draft. Over her six-year career, she averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 182 regular-season games. She appeared in 29 playoff games and was awarded a starting berth for the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game. She was also named the recipient of the 2001 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, honoring a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.
Wicks sat down with WNBA News to talk about her future plans and life after the WNBA.
Q: Now that you are retired, what are you up to?
Wicks: Right now I’m looking for a recipe to cook this duck.
I guess this summer is really a transition. I’m going to take some classes at Rutgers, get my mind on something. It’s going to be hard to watch the games if I’m not doing something or just at the beach. I’m going to do something constructive, take some business classes. I’m going to start accounting next week. Why wouldn’t I take something interesting? Something is wrong with me, I don’t know, but I’m going to take accounting, and I start next week. The other things in my life that were kind of on the side burner, I’m also trying to put those in the front a little bit, like my finances and my family.
Q: Are you looking toward getting a degree or are you just going to take a few classes?
Wicks: I’m thinking that there actually is a direction that I want to head in, but it’s just an idea so I’m really not sure. I’m going to see how I feel about going to classes, probably do business, political science or something like that.
Q: Do you want to stay involved in basketball in some way?
Wicks: I really think there are some good things to do in basketball, and I think I can probably do most. I can coach, but there are other things. That’s why it was great being with the WNBA. I think there were so many other things you can do besides play basketball. You can be involved in your community. You can be involved in issues like Title IX. It seems like when we went to college, I never even recognized it. Then to see all of the messages that the WNBA sends out with its programs and its marketing, I think I was most proud to be involved with that stuff and I think that that brought out a side of me that I would like to explore more.
Q: You have been thinking about retiring for a couple of years now. What finally convinced you to retire this year?
Wicks: I think I was ready to. I went to the game the other day. I went to the scrimmage, and I sat there. I can be a fan. I can cheer the team on, and I didn’t feel an urge to get back on the floor. I really feel that I made the right decision -- that I was done playing. You know, I’ve played a lot of years of basketball, and I’ve been playing it year round. I just feel I can do something else and concentrate on something else. In one part of my mind, I think of what we’ve done with the WNBA and being part of that, it would be tough to make a bigger contribution. But I really feel I can redirect some of the passion that I have in other ways. Maybe I can make it better for other young women coming up in sports and growing up in society. When you are done with basketball, I think you have all of these grandiose ideas, and I’m waiting for the transition to see what I can really do.
Q: Describe your playing days with the New York Liberty.
Wicks: Really, really amazing. It feels like anything was possible after that. Who would have thought that as a kid growing up, I would have the opportunity to play in Madison Square Garden and we would have sellout crowds, that we would be national television and that people would recognize you for being a basketball player and wear your shirt? You get to meet actors, singers, politicians and all of these interesting people. I never thought that would happen when I was shooting baskets as a little kid in front of my house. The last six years have been absolutely amazing, and then the first 10 years when I was in Europe were also absolutely amazing, traveling around the world, learning cultures and meeting interesting people. What happened is beyond my imagination. I think for young girls starting now, they can imagine these things. So it’s kind of neat being part of that, just one of the people being part of that. There are just more opportunities for women athletes.
Q: Is it a big disappointment never winning a championship after making it to the Finals four times?
Wicks: Very, very disappointing. I think in time it will come into a different perspective that we did go to the championship four times and that we were a team that was honestly not as talented as the other teams. We were a team that struggled every year to make the playoffs and struggled through the playoffs to make it to the Finals. Being part of that overachieving was rewarding in itself, but once you get to that championship, it’s a high level to drop from because you want to win the whole thing. So yeah, it was devastating every year we lost. I think at my age, I think I gave as much as I could give. It was time to move on and do something else. I really felt I gave it all of my energy, all of my heart, all of my soul. I know what it takes for this team to be successful, and I think I’m at an age that it’s time for me to move on and let another girl do it.
Q: Do you have any predictions for the 2003 New York Liberty?
Wicks: As an insider, I know the one thing about the Liberty that no one counts out and that’s the heart. That comes from Vickie Johnson and Teresa Weatherspoon and that’s always going to be there.
The expectations from Carol Blazejowski and the front office, are very hard to live up to. She believes so strongly that we were going to do well, we always went along with that. Of course, we should win. Of course, we should be in the Finals no matter what the preseason predictions were. It’s all inside their heart. I’m a little bit of an outsider right now, but I know the desire is still there. They’re always going to be champions and play like champions. I think that’s the most important part. As long as you believe you are a champion, and you get up every time you get knocked down and come back and play as a champion, then you are going to feel like a champion and you’re always going to be in it.
Q: Do you plan on going to a lot of games this year?
Wicks: Yeah. I really am a fan. I went to the game the other day and I lost myself already. I jumped up a few times and I was cheering because they’re my teammates and I love them so much. I was always amazed at all of my teammates.