Sundance Wicks on ‘Bringing Your Own Juice’

On this episode of The Big Plan on Campus, Thomas talks with Sundance Wicks, the assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Wyoming and founder of the Arizona Power Basketball Academy.

Growing up in Gillette, Wyoming with his family (Tom, John, Mark, Barbara, Luke, and Kelsey), Sundance explains how he got his unique name. “With a name like Sundance, you can’t be boring,” he says. He is a passionate person who loves helping others find their passion. He had a challenging road to becoming a college basketball coach for 15 years. There were times when he was living in his car and wondering how he was going to get his next meal. He tells Thomas how he went from almost experiencing homelessness to now being the assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Wyoming. It’s an incredible story.

“Bring your own juice.” That’s Sundance’s personal mantra and a mantra he is known for. Are you able to get up every day when it doesn’t feel promising? You could be living out of your car or just don’t want to do life, but every day you should show up, do your job, and help others.

Thomas and Sundance then go on to discuss the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officially changing its rules, now allowing college athletes to receive benefits from their name, image, and likeness. What does this mean and how is this going to change the shape of collegiate athletics? It might be a wait and see game. There are some no brainers and trailblazers out there, but a lot of it will be athletes testing out the waters. There are going to be a lot of things to figure out in the next few years, because clearly this rule is here to stay for a while.

Does that put a school at a disadvantage if they don’t have a good-looking NIL (name, image, likeness) package? Sundance doesn’t think that it is a big selling point right now, but speculates what it might mean in the future for student athletes who are selecting a school. He also goes on to discuss how he thinks this ruling will change and evolve.

This episode is nothing short of entertaining. Sundance has a great story and positive energy. I’m sure you will be a University of Wyoming Basketball fan by the end of the episode. Tune in to get your “juice” for the week!

On this week’s episode for the financial planning educational opportunity, Thomas talks about why you should own fixed income in your portfolio with interest rates are so low. Tune in to get Thomas’ rebuttal to this common question.

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