Sundance Wicks
Sundance "Sunny" Wicks is an American college basketball coach, currently an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming. Prior to that, he served 2 years as the head coach for the Missouri Western Men's Basketball Team. Wicks played at Northern State in college, then played in Sweden for the Södertälje Kings for one year, then spent eleven non-consecutive years as an assistant at four different colleges including Northern State, Colorado, Northern Illinois, and San Francisco.[1] He also launched the Arizona Power Basketball Academy and worked as a skill-instructor and director from 2011–15. Prior to that, he spent five months training NBA pre-draft prospects at the Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas. He trained athletes such as Kawhi Leonard, Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Thomas, and Alec Burks.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| Team | Wyoming |
| Conference | MW |
| Playing career | |
| 1999–2003 | Northern State |
| 2003–2004 | Södertälje Kings |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2004–2006 | Northern State (GA) |
| 2006–2007 | Colorado (assistant) |
| 2007–2011 | Northern Illinois (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | San Francisco (assistant) |
| 2016–2018 | Northern State (assistant) |
| 2018–2020 | Missouri Western |
| 2020–present | Wyoming (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 30–32 (.484) |
He is known for his outgoing personality, his comical metaphors, and his ability to "Bring the Juice."
Playing career
Basketball
From 1999 to 2003, Wicks played basketball for Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He scored a total of 1,174 points and pulled in 665 rebounds, which is 10th all time at Northern State. He was named All-NSIC twice, all-Conference academic selection twice, and won the Clark Swisher Male Athlete of the Year once in the 2002–03 season. Also, he helped Northern State win two NSIC conference titles.[2]
Track and Field
Wicks was an All-NSIC performer in the 400-meter hurdles twice.
Södertälje Kings
During the 2003–04 season, Wicks played for the Södertälje Kings in Sweden. He led he team in scoring and rebounding.[3]
Coaching career
2004-06 Northern State (Assistant)
Wicks was a GA under legendary coach Don Meyer for two years as a graduate assistant.
2006-07 Colorado (Assistant)
He coached under another well known coach at Colorado named Ricardo Patton as an assistant. He was in charge of film exchange and editing, individual workouts, in-state recruiting, and Ricardo Patton Basketball Camps.
2007-11 Northern Illinois (Assistant)
Wicks served as an assistant coach for Northern Illinois for four years under Ricardo Patton. The Huskies went 35-83 during his four years there.
2015-16 San Francisco (Assistant)
Sundance Wicks served as an assistant for San Francisco for one season under head coach Rex Walters. Also on the staff was Sundance's brother, Luke Wicks.
2016-18 Northern State (Assistant)
Wicks spent two seasons as an assistant coach for his alma-mater Northern State for two seasons under head coach Paul Sather. During the 2017–18 season, Northern State compiled a record of 36-4 and were national runner-ups in the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.[4]
2018-2020 Missouri Western (Head coach)
On March 28, 2018, Sundance Wicks was named the fifth men's basketball head coach at Missouri Western.[5] In his first season leading the Griffons, Wicks recorded a 12-18 (6-13 Conference) record. That was the best record for Missouri Western since the 2015–16 season. He has had one player make the All-Conference Second Team, Lavon Hightower, and had two players receive honorable mentions, Tyrell Carroll and Bryan Hudson.
In his second season, Sundance Wicks led the team to an 18-14 record, the best Missouri Western has had since their 2009-10 season. This included a win against a ranked opponent: Missouri Southern. They also had a home record of 12-1, losing only to number one ranked Northwest Missouri State by a score of 69-92.
2020-present Wyoming (Assistant)
On March 27, 2020, Wicks resigned from Missouri Western to join Jeff Linder at Wyoming as assistant coach.[6]
Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Western (MIAA) (2018–2020) | |||||||||
| 2018-19 | Missouri Western | 12-18 | 6-13 | 12th | |||||
| 2019-20 | Missouri Western | 18-14 | 13-6 | 4th | |||||
| Missouri Western: | 30–32 (.484) | 19-19 (.500) | |||||||
| Total: | 30–32 (.484) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Sundance Wicks". Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- "Sundance Wicks". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- "Södertälje Kings 2003-04 roster". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- Zimmer, Matt (24 March 2018). "Northern State's dream season ends in heartbreak in Division II National Championship game". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- "Sundance Wicks Named Head Men's Basketball Coach". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- Potter, Davis (March 27, 2020). "Wyoming native Sundance Wicks rounds out Cowboys' staff". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2020.