During Sidney Wick's sophomore season, his first year
at UCLA after transferring from Santa Monica City College, he was
a backup forward for Curtis Rowe and Lynn Shackelford and averaged
7.5 points per game off the bench. While 7.5 points per game is an
impressive average for a sophomore coming off the bench, no one expected
Sidney's rise to superstar status that would occur during his junior
and senior years except for Coach Wooden. Wooden realized Wicks freakish
athletic ability and often said, "Sidney Wicks is the most physically
talented player I have ever coached." He also understood that
Sidney had always been so much more athletic than everyone he played
against that he tried to do everything himself. It was during the
off-season between his sophomore and junior years that Sidney embraced
his role on the team which allowed him and the team to shine together.
After Lew Alcindor's graduation in 1969, many people
wrote the Bruins off for the next year. They were supposedly without
a superstar. Little did the collegiate basketball world know that
Sidney Wicks was ready to become one. He earned a starting spot come
junior year and led the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game
and in rebounding with 11.9 rebounds per game while working within
the offense of the team. Wicks shining moment of his junior season
occurred on the biggest of stages, the NCAA Championship Game. The
Bruins were facing off against Jacksonville who was led by 7'2"
center Artis Gilmore. Wicks, standing 6'8", was matched up against
Gilmore. Despite a six inch height difference, Wicks blocked Gilmore
5 times, out rebounded him 18-16, and held him to 9-20 from the field
while leading the Bruins to an 80-69 victory. For Wicks amazing effort,
he earned Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Championship round,
First Team All-America Honors, and co-Player of the Year from the
Helms Athletic Foundation.
Sidney Wicks was not satisfied with two championships,
he wanted a third. Now that the collegiate basketball world knew who
he was, Sidney and the Bruins entered the 1970-1971 season as the
early favorites. Sidney did not disappoint; he lead the Bruins to
the title game while improving his scoring to 21.3 points per game
and his rebounding to 12.8 rebounds per game for the season. While
unable to match the performance of the 1970 championship game in the
1971 championship game due to an injured foot, Sidney started the
game and provided his leadership to help the Bruins win the 1971 National
Title. For his tremendous season Wicks earned First Team All-America
Honors and Player of the Year from USWBA and The Sporting News.
After graduating from UCLA, Wicks entered the NBA Draft.
He was the 2nd pick in the 1971 NBA Draft and was the Rookie of the
Year in 1972. He played for ten seasons and was selected to four All-Star
teams. After finishing his NBA career, he served as an assitant coach
at UCLA for four years.For his amazing performance at UCLA, his jersey,
#35, was retired
