The Righteous & The Wicked
- Callan McClurg (@callanmac3)
- Nov 5, 2015
- 8 min read
SAN DIEGO, CA: I believe that people enter our lives for a reason. There's something, whether it's on purpose, by accident or right place and time that what starts out as two strangers interacting with each other then becomes something special as a friendship, partnership or a special bond. We all have built these kinds of special bonds with these incredible and extraordinary people whether on a personal level with someone who you hangout with frequently, or in the professional world with colleague or coworker.
I first got into the sport of Women's Basketball back in 2004 when a visit to Connecticut to visit my Aunt and Uncle landed me at a UCONN Women's Basketball game. I became intrigued by the play of UCONN star Diana Taurasi, best known for being the #1 draft pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the following year’s WNBA draft. I also frequently attended University of San Diego Women's Basketball games at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, who were led by two family friends of mine, Amanda Rego and Amber Sprague under long tenured coach Cindy Fisher, along with attending San Diego State Women's games at Cox/Viejas Arena when they were led by star player Jene Morris.
Normally you don't start making professional connections or networking when you're only eleven years old and still in elementary school. However, the young pro announcer who was announcing the baseball games he actually played in did just that with an eighteen year old High School Senior Girls Basketball player who he had met by sheer accident while being in the right place at the right time.
Over the Winter in 2004, my Baseball team had an early morning Doubleheader at La Jolla Country Day High School located in the suburbs of Torrey Pines adjacent to the University of California San Diego. After our two games concluded, my team stuck around afterwords for a team barbecue. In between playing two hand touch Football and other games, my attention shifted to a multitude of people walking past us and towards the Gym. La Jolla Country Day was hosting a season opening Girls Basketball tournament and they were playing Orange Glen High School in the last game of the day.
Myself and a few of my friends decided to break away from the barbecue and check things out. We managed to whizzle our way into a packed gym for the game and never before had I seen such a loud and electric atmosphere for High School Basketball Game...let alone a Girls Basketball game, but those fans, students and parents made that gym sound like you were at a playoff or championship clinching game, and this was the second game they played all season.
Once the game got rolling, I finally realized why the crowd was so into the game and the team, more so into play of their dynamic Senior Guard and three-sport student athlete...Candice Wiggins. The 5'11' Senior lived up to all of the expectations of the heavy burden that senior student-athletes carry whether it is in the classroom or in a game. Wiggins put her team on her back that day and carried them to a Win in their opening game of the tournament and their second game of the season. Seeing her play, grit, determination and her calm cool and outgoing demeanor is what made me a fan.
I'm sure it's not everyday that any athlete would ever receive a handshake, hug and carry on a conversation with an eleven year old kid, but that was exactly what Candice and I did. It was brief, but I just introduced myself to her and we chatted for a few minutes. I just said to her that she played a great game and that she had a bright future after she finished High School.
From that point forward, I never had the chance to see her play in person again, so I would check the local newspaper to see how both her and the team did in their games and became a bigger fan and continued to follow her path that led her to Stanford University and her rightful spot as the third overall pick by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Following capturing the 2011 WNBA title with Minnesota she pursued future endeavors with the Tulsa Shock in 2013, her homecoming in 2014 with the Los Angeles Sparks and now with the New York Liberty during the 2015 season.
While I wasn't able to watch her play, we were able to talk things over once again in October 2014, ten years after meeting her for the first time ever, I reached out to her over the off-season asking if she'd be able to allow me to finish a broadcasting school project of conducting a one on one interview with a professional athlete. Much like when I first met her ten years earlier, she showed me so much courtesy, gratitude, respect and welcomed me with open arms to allow me to conduct the interview with her, and it was an absolute honor and privilege to be able to spend over an hour with her to chat about how far her career has come across high school, college and the WNBA.
After our long and extended interview concluded, Candice told me that "THIS WAS THE BEST INTERVIEW SHE'S EVER DONE IN HER CAREER." That comment made me light up like a Christmas Tree on Christmas Day. For a professional athlete to say that this interview was the best they've EVER done and given in their entire career almost made me choke up a bit because that is the best response I've ever received from anyone about either a game that I've broadcasted or a show I hosted.
After she announced that she would be playing with the New York this season, that meant that she would make only one trip to play on the West Coast as opposed to the normal five teams while she was in the Western Conference playing with Minnesota and Tulsa as a visiting player. Even after all the years and getting use to seeing her with Minnesota, Tulsa and now New York, it still didn’t seem right to not see her on my team or the team I was rooting for.
In the end, the Liberty outlasted the Sparks 59-53 to sweep the season series for the first time in five years. I had moved seats from where I was sitting to the first row directly behind the bench. After the team’s exchanged pleasantries and broke their final huddles, the teams began making their way to their respective tunnels for the locker rooms, and who do you think was the first person to give her a hug and embrace her after the game? Yeah, that was me. Immediately after saying her name once, she waved and came over to chat with me for a bit and saying she’d be back after finishing her post game media interviews and taking care of her luggage from their road trip. I had taken a seat in the first row closest to the tunnel when a small group of people took the seats next to me with issued passes with “GUEST: New York” written on them. Naturally I didn’t think much of it since I figured they were tied to the Liberty franchise in some capacity, only to later find out that it was members of Candice’s family who made the trip up from San Diego for the game.
So a few minutes wait turned into a longer wait that resulted in being asked to leave the venue by the arena security staff. Myself and two friends then began our waiting game outside of Staples Center on 11th Street facing the Convention Center when I had started to see members of the Liberty walking back to the team hotel located about two blocks away from the arena. While I just happened to be walking towards the crosswalk and looking around, I spotted Candice with her family waiting for the crosswalk sign to change. After greeting her with a huge hug and meeting some members of her family, we broke away for a one on one conversation, although this time it was unrecorded and wasn't needed by a deadline for school, but more so a continuation of our interview conversation back in 2014.
We talked for roughly fifteen minutes one on one sharing laughs and stories. Of course as a show of professionalism I thanked her again for being so kind and gracious for welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to have my interview with her and that it was an honor and privilege to be able to talk to her for over an hour about her career and her personal life. Candice thanked me for all of my support and always interacting with her over social media, plus for showing how much I truly care about not only her, but also about the sport of the Women’s Basketball and the WNBA as a whole because she knows the struggle the league and sport go through to get attention.
Not only was the interview with her the best of her career, she also said the interview has helped her tell her personal story a lot better and it's open the door for fans to really get to know her a lot better than what they probably knew about her. She also praised me for knowing all of her background from High School, College and her WNBA career, while reassuring it’s all because of our hometown roots and the fact that I got the chance to see her career blossom before anyone at Stanford or Minneapolis, Tulsa, Los Angeles and New York did and that I got to see it all happen before she became a professional.
While her family was ready to head back to the team hotel, Candice personally invited me to walk back with them to the hotel and hang out with them longer. While on our way back, We further broke away from her family and my friend I came with when she invited to walk her back to the team hotel. During our walk back we talked about Basketball, Family and home.
By the time we got back to the team hotel, we hung out in the lobby for another thirty minutes, which gave me enough time to get her to autograph an 8x10 that is now framed on my wall and what would a trip to Los Angeles be without a little paparazzi and a few photos. Once we finally finished her family had finally gotten back to the hotel and were getting set to head off to Hollywood to enjoy some family time together since this would be the only time all season that Candice would play in Los Angeles.
After experiencing by far the most amazing one on one meet and greets with a professional athlete, we both were on our way in different directions that night. Candice and her family were off to party in Hollywood that night and she would be staying in Los Angeles for the All-Star Break. I was headed back home to Candice San Diego to finish my summer Baseball announcing schedule.
In the time from the interview in October 2014 until now, There’s not a day that goes by that Candice and I don’t talk to each other. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or Text, we’re always in touch sharing stories, laughing, having a good time and have formed a very close friendship not just between ourselves, but between both of our families to where now I hangout with her cousins Nathan and Meredith every time we get the chance to see each other. Our friendship bond has grown so strong that we've done some fun and great things together, from attending College Volleyball and Football games and hooking up for lunch, both of these families have formed a deep connection to the point now where Candice, Meredith and Nathan have become the brother and sisters I never had.
It NEVER has, and it NEVER will matter what jersey Candice wears for the rest of her career, this friendship involves more than just Basketball. There's a lot of things that we have in common with each other. Everything from our hometown roots, writing and sharing blog stories and a clear vision for our futures. Mine being officially getting my college degree for Radio Broadacsting and announcing full-time at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Candice's future being her continued effort to win her second WNBA championship on the court and her valiant effort to raise awareness about the AIDS disease, girls/female empowerment and growing the game/sport of the Women's Basketball.
It's not everyday you can say a professional athlete is one of your best friends...
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