By Jeff Bugher
5/27/22024
What Exactly is The Juice? Wyoming Basketball Head Coach Sundance Wicks Explains
New Wyoming Basketball head coach Sundance Wicks is a man fueled by tremendous energy and a deep-seated philosophy he affectionately calls "the juice." You’ve likely seen the pictures the University of Wyoming released with the phrase “Bring the Juice.” In a recent press conference, we asked Wicks to shed light on his metaphysical approach to coaching, emphasizing the importance of individuality, self-awareness, and the power of bringing one's unique spirit to every aspect of life. His message is clear: discover your gift, develop it, and share it with the world.
Metaphysical Insights and The Juice – Not Really Sunny D
Wicks began with a metaphysical approach, emphasizing the importance of individuality and self-awareness. "Everybody thinks it's Sunny D," he explained, "but if you drink a whole gallon of Sunny D, you'll get a stomach ache, so you use that as a metaphor. Right now, I can do this all day long… That's who I am."
Wicks attributes his abundance of energy as a divine gift. "God gave me large amounts of energy. If you don't use your gift, you'll give it away to somebody else who will. There are three things you got to do in this life: discover your unique gift or talent, develop it, and then deliver it."
The Spirit of Giving
Wicks likened his philosophy to the spirit of Christmas. "What good is Christmas without any presents? Everybody's got a gift, but the point of Christmas is to give. My job is to give and give and give. This is my gift. It's what gets me in the door. But what keeps me there is substance behind the style."
BYOJ: Bring Your Own Juice
The acronym BYOJ: Bring Your Own Juice is central to Wicks' message. He emphasized the importance of personal authenticity. "The keyword being 'own,' not mine. I don't need you to be me. I got me. You get you. Bring your own juice, and we will all have our own unique spirit."
Wicks challenges each player in the program to bring their own juice daily, whether in practice, the community, or the Cowboy basketball program. "A lot of kids just don't know who they are nowadays. They have a perception and a social media persona, but they don't know who they are. We want them to learn and discover who they are."
Embracing Vulnerability and Growth
Wicks discussed the journey of self-discovery, stressing the significance of understanding and growth. "We shouldn't judge without first understanding or getting to know somebody. Society nowadays jumps to conclusions based on a couple of texts or tweets. But really, you're letting your spirit and your soul grow. Showing your soul and growing your soul is the most worthy challenge we have as coaches."
He continued on the power of vulnerability, "We talk a lot in our program about vulnerability as a superpower. I've shared a couple of stories with you on my journey. It's relatable to know that we're going to struggle and go through hard times. Basketball is just a vehicle to teach us how to respond to adversity."
Bringing It All to the Party, and All Together...
Wicks concludes with a vibrant metaphor for contribution. "Bring your own juice… bring your own spirit to the party. I ain't going to the party and bringing the chips and salsa while John Doe and John Smith just eat all the crap. They better show up with something. So you better show up with your own juice, your own spirit."
It's clear that Sundance Wicks encourages everyone to discover, develop, and deliver their unique gifts, always bringing their own juice to every aspect of life. His organic approach to squeezing the best out of everyone might be the secret juice that sparks the Cowboy Basketball team back into contention.
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