Wicks, Portland discuss departure

After Thursday's 70-56 defeat of San Diego State, Lady Lion basketball coach Rene Portland said sophomore guard Courtney Wicks had been released from the team.

Portland said Courtney Wicks missed practice last Tuesday and "as a repercussion" would no longer be with the team. Courtney Wicks asked to transfer and was given permission, Portland said.

"I am deeply disappointed that the situation has evolved the way it has," he said. "A lot of people have problems with the Lady Lion basketball program. There's a pattern of verbal and psychological abuse."

Sunday night in a postgame interview with The Daily Collegian in Maryland, Portland, along with assistant coach Susan Robinson, refuted Milton Wicks' claims.

"Mr. Wicks has never been to practice," Portland said. "And the group that insinuates those questions has never been at practice either."

Courtney Wicks, who could not be reached for comment, is the fourth Lady Lion to leave the team in less than a year. Julie Jarosz and Tara Macciocco left the team in mid-February, citing personal reasons. Shauntai Hall finished the season before citing differences between Portland and herself for her departure on March 18 and eventual transfer to Rutgers.

When reached for comment yesterday, Macciocco said she did not want to elaborate on reasons for her departure, saying she is trying to put last year behind her.

Portland said each case was different, but the root of the problem was players not being able to meet her strict code of conduct.

"I think there's a standard that each team lives by," she said. "Overall, I think it's a code of conduct that the University supports."

Milton Wicks said problems have existed between his daughter and Portland since early last year. But the climax, he said, came two weeks ago when Wicks sprained her ankle before a game against Kansas. According to Milton Wicks, Portland would not let Courtney sit out despite the pain she was in.

Last year, the issue of Lady Lions playing while injured arose with the departures of Macciocco, Jarosz and Hall. All three played with either sickness or nagging injuries at one point last season.

Portland insisted that it is the decision of the team physicians to determine whether players are healthy enough to compete.

"That's not my decision. That's never been my decision," she said. "I was never told that (Courtney Wicks) wasn't able to play."

Lady Lions' head trainer Andra Thomas said there is no truth to anything stating that Portland forces her players to compete while injured. Thomas said sometimes Portland won't let hurt Lady Lions play, even when the medical staff clears them.

"To be quite honest, Rene is one of the most cautious coaches I've worked for in all my life," Thomas said. "By far, the health of the athlete is most important for her."

Milton Wicks said this is not the first time he has been upset with the care provided for his daughter's injuries. In the early part of last season, he said Courtney became light-headed while doing wind sprints.

"Rene built this up as saying she always passed out. Courtney was given an array of physical tests and put on prescriptions without our knowledge," he said. "The medication provided did not make her feel well and she did not want to take it, but Rene said, 'Either do this or you don't have a scholarship.' "

During the Christmas holiday, Portland learned through a teammate that Courtney Wicks was not taking her medication, Milton Wicks said. He said Courtney Wicks' life was "hell" from that point forward. Milton Wicks said Portland called him to say Courtney Wicks would not be traveling with the team, leading him to drive from Wayne, N.J., to bring her home.

"I'm literally told when a kid can practice and when a kid can play," she said. "All this medical stuff is documented."

Like Milton Wicks, Jarosz's father, Joe Jarosz, and Hall's father, Tom Hall, told The Daily Collegian last season that their daughters were upset with their treatment by the program. Joe Jarosz said Portland engaged in "psychological warfare," which put his daughter in a "mentally abusive situation."

Hall's departure, Milton Wicks said, got his daughter in trouble with Portland. He said Hall and his daughter were friends and Courtney Wicks was sad to see her go. But, he said, Courtney Wicks was "read the riot act" by Portland when she tried to say goodbye to Hall.

Portland said she never met with Courtney Wicks alone because of a University stipulation that prevents her from meeting with her players in private.

"There was never a time when I was by myself with Courtney," she said. "I honestly have everything documented."

In the wake of Courtney Wicks becoming the fourth Lady Lion to leave the team in 10 months, the University continues to support Portland and the Lady Lion program.

"We need to understand that we have a program with a fine record," Associate Athletic Director Ellen Perry said. "Ninety percent of the players that have come through here have moved on successfully. We support (Portland) and we need to move forward."

"We liked Courtney," she said. "She was fun. She was the best dancer on the team. Half of her jokes I don't think I can repeat."

Courtney Wicks will complete the Fall Semester at Penn State. What she does after that, her father said, is still undecided.