Wicks and Rowe: They were Actually Quite Good in College

Mention the names Wicks and Rowe to a longtime Celtics Fans, and you are bound to get unpleasant reactions. Neither is remembered fondly in Boston. Both are thought to epitomize the antithesis of what it means to be a Celtic, especially when it comes to inspirational play, or lack thereof. 

During the infamous 1978-79 season when just about everything fell apart for Battleship Shamrock, Rowe tried to console teammates during one losing streak by telling them that "there ain't no W's or L's on our paychecks." His career in New England appropriately came to an end during training camp the following season, when first year head coach Bill Fitch, who couldn't bear to watch #41 loaf down the court one more minute of practice, instructed Rowe to "keep on running" into the locker room, out to his car, and back to his apartment where he was advised he could start looking for a new employer because he'd been cut. Wicks wasn't quite that bad, but, for whatever reason, is remembered as Rowe's soul mate when it came to lack of output.

So it may come as a surprise that when the period of evaluation for these two blokes is adjusted by a few years, the reputations of Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe improve immeasurably. This is 
one look at the Wicks and Rowe tandem before their reputations went South.

February 8, 1990

WESTWOOD

As he embarked upon the task of restoring glory to the UCLA basketball program 1 1/2 years ago, Coach Jim Harrick faced doubts about the players who would provide the cornerstones in the rebuilding process.

He wondered if Trevor Wilson, after two stormy years under former Coach Walt Hazzard, would be able to curb his temper. Would Wilson be able to blend his splendid individual skills into a team concept? Would Wilson react positively to a one-week suspension from preseason practice?

He wondered how Don MacLean, only a few months removed from Simi Valley High, would adjust to the more rigorous demands of college basketball. Would MacLean score as well as he had in high school? Would MacLean have the stamina to rebound, defend and run?

Harrick has since watched Wilson, a 6-foot-8 senior, and MacLean, a 6-10 sophomore, develop into one of the most proficient forward tandems in college basketball. The two have proved to be worthy heirs to a long line of exemplary Bruin forwards that includes Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe and eight other NBA first-round draft choices since 1971.

Sidney Wicks: Guilt by Association?

Kevin Garnett's 22-point, 20-rebound Celtics debut on Nov. 2 against the Wizards was so emphatic, it drowned out all memories of the only other Celtic in franchise history to record a 20-20 game with his first game in green. 

It was probably the highlight of Sidney Wicks' two seasons in green. As anyone who followed the team back then can attest, the forward's path quickly spiraled down. This former Rookie of the Year paired with the troubled Curtis Rowe for the most disliked twosome in franchise history.

And that's a shame, according to the man who coached Wicks for the first year-and-a-half.