UAA Athletics

After workout with Knicks, UAA’s Wiggs plays waiting game

As former UAA guard Suki Wiggs waits for his phone to ring, hoping for that first opportunity to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball, he has a good buddy to keep him company — one who has been there and done that.

Wiggs is training in Minnesota with his best friend — two-time NBA dunk champion Zach LaVine.

Wiggs said Zach and his dad, Paul, are like family to him. Wiggs grew up playing ball with Zach in his hometown of Seattle, and Paul has been his primary trainer for years.

"We played for the same AAU program," Wiggs said of Zach. "We were basically like the one-two combo punch. We got our names out there.

"Through that, our relationship got stronger and stronger 'cause I was always around him."

Wiggs' dream is to join LaVine in the NBA, but his next step will likely be an NBA Summer League or development league team, or maybe a professional team overseas, he said this week.

The 6-foot-4 Wiggs has drawn interest from some NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, who brought him in for a workout earlier this month.

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After undergoing a physical and testing for vertical jump and sprint speed, the six athletes at the workout were pitted against each other to see how they matched up.

Among the players there was Isaiah Hicks of the national champion North Carolina Tar Heels. He and Wiggs were on the same team for several drills, Wiggs said.

"I feel like we really meshed together pretty well and were two of the better players in the workout," Wiggs said. "I felt really, really great and then I got positive feedback from a lot of the coaches."

In his two years at UAA, Wiggs averaged 24.2 points per game and shot at a 43.9-percent clip. Wiggs transferred to UAA after two seasons at Division I Idaho.

In addition to working out with the Knicks, Wiggs said a couple of other NBA teams have expressed interest through his agent. Wiggs had the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of all 30 NBA teams at a "pro day" for BDA Sports Management, with which he and his agent are affiliated.

"Going in front of all those GMs and coaches — you see Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau and legends like Pat Riley and Phil Jackson — the moment was so real," Wiggs said. "I felt like that was my time.

"I was star struck for a good 10 seconds and then it hit me (that it was my time)."

Wiggs said if nothing materializes in the coming days or weeks, he'll take part in a couple of showcase workouts. One will be for D-league hopefuls and the other will be in front of teams from overseas.

"It's been a ride," Wiggs said. "Just basically waiting to hear some news.

"I'm just staying ready and prepared."

Stephan Wiebe

Stephan Wiebe writes about all things Alaska sports.

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