It was last Valentine’s Day and Chris Wilcox was watching ESPN while getting his hair braided in a Los Angeles salon.

“All of a sudden, the roll across the bottom of the screen said that I had been traded to Seattle,” said Wilcox, while taking a break from activities of last week’s Chris Wilcox Basketball Camp in Whiteville. “My agent had phoned earlier and said he would be getting back with me soon but I hadn’t known it was about getting traded. I then called him, and he said that, yes, I had been traded.”

The 23-year-old Wilcox, who had been the Los Angeles Clippers first-round draft pick in 2002 and had spent 3-1/2 seasons, mainly in a back-up role, with the Clippers, had received the news he had been waiting most of the season for.

“I had a feeling I would be getting traded but I hadn’t really thought it would be the Sonics,” the former Whiteville High and University of Maryland standout said. “My first thought was, ‘Not Seattle and all that rain,’ but then I got to thinking that it would be a great opportunity for me. It would give me a fresh start.”

A fresh start it was as the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Wilcox almost immediately became an impact in the Sonic line-up as the 4 (power forward) position.
“The Sonics were on a 16-day road trip when I joined them, so it took a few days to get used to things but I felt part of the team right away. My style of play of really fit in and I quickly regained a lot of the confidence I felt I had lost over the last season with the Clippers.”

Wilcox became a full-time starter shortly after he joined the SuperSonics when Nick Collison went down with an injury. Wilcox had one game in which he scored 26 points and had 24 rebounds. In another he tossed in a career-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

“I was relaxed and focused,” he said. “The team wasn’t headed to the playoffs but I felt my play started making a difference over the last half of the season.”

While with the SuperSonics this year, he averaged more than 14 points and nearly eight rebounds.

“I’m comfortable playing 35-40 minutes per game,” he said. “The NBA season can take a toll on the body with an 82-game schedule and almost constant travel but I love it. This past season has really left me excited for what lies ahead.”

Wilcox held his basketball camp in Whiteville for the fourth straight year and also held a 3-on-3 Tournament on Saturday.

Glenn McKoy, who coached Wilcox at Whiteville High from 1997 to 1998, continues to serve as the camp’s chief director.

He said it is “a blessing” to be able to return to Columbus County each summer to get to be with young people.

“Along with just seeing that they have a good, fun week with basketball, I want them to start looking at their futures. I want them to realize that if they set their goals and work hard to attain them, it can all become a reality for them.

“Everyone has special talents and abilities and it’s important that all young

people realize this,” he said.

Wilcox paced Whiteville High to the 1999 state 2A championship. In 2002, he was key figure as sophomore in the University of Maryland’s NCAA championship season.