Motivation Quote by Sue Wicks

Sue Wicks speaks from the blunt honesty of a defender who lived in the paint, where intentions and impact often collide. The line separates malice from contact: the purpose is to compete, not to injure, yet the game demands bodies meet, space is fought for, and the floor punishes hesitation. That tension sits at the heart of basketball, a nonviolent sport whose rhythms are built on boxing out, hard screens, and contested landings. Players pledge respect, and still they learn to brace for the elbow they did not see.

Coming from a Rutgers legend and New York Liberty mainstay, the sentiment also answers lingering misconceptions about women’s basketball. Wicks came up in an era when the WNBA was staking its legitimacy, and physical play was part of that argument. Toughness was not posturing; it was daily reality. The remark defends a culture of hardness without cruelty: play hard, not dirty. It respects the boundary set by rules and whistles, but it also acknowledges that the rules do not erase the consequences of speed, mass, and competitive urgency.

There is an ethical code implied here. Aggression is permitted, even required, but it must be disciplined by purpose and regard for opponents. You fight for position with your chest, not your forearm; you set screens that are strong and legal; you take charges by beating someone to a spot, not by baiting injury. The goal is excellence, not domination at any cost.

The statement also honors the toll. Rough does not only describe the contact; it captures the grind of practices, the bruises that bloom after adrenaline fades, the psychological edge needed to keep stepping into collisions. Wicks underscores a paradox athletes accept: to fully honor the sport and one another, you commit your whole body to it, knowing that respect and risk arrive together.