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And here comes the tough question....
Published: 4/16/2012 9:00 PM
Last Modified: 4/16/2012 9:01 PM

While monitoring TV coverage of the WNBA draft, I watched ESPN’s Holly Rowe interview one of the Tulsa Shock’s draft picks and I knew, inevitably, she would be required to ask the tough question.

I was curious to hear the question (and how it was answered) because I knew I would have to ask it myself later.

This is the back story:

Riquna Williams, a guard from Miami, Fla., was expected to be drafted in the middle of the first round. She slipped to the middle of the second round and was taken by the Shock with the 17th overall pick. After making the pick, Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg described Williams as a “tremendous talent.”

Kloppenburg also acknowledged the reason Williams went undrafted for so long was because her college coach suspended her for conduct detrimental to the team prior to the NCAA Tournament. That scared potential employers away, but Kloppenburg is of the opinion that Williams’ four-year body of work outweighs one unfortunate incident that Williams would “like to have back.”

Said the coach, “Obviously there is some risk there and we will find out if the reward is going to be there is how I look at it. When you have a talent like that, you have got to really take a look, take a risk. She is a big, big-time talent. To me, it’s definitely worth it. The upside is worth it.”

The Shock arranged prior to the draft to have their top picks phone me for brief interviews. When Williams called me, I knew I was obligated to ask her about the suspension and how it affected her draft status.

Want some honesty? It’s not a fun question to ask because you know Williams has been asked about the suspension 1,000 times already and, if you were her, would you want others to draw a conclusion about you (or your character) based on one situation? But it's all part of the job if you are the interviewer, so you ask the question anyway.

“It’s impossible to judge (a person) off one incident or whatever outcome,” Williams responded, calmly. “I really think it’s impossible. One mistake or wrong thing doesn’t define a person. There is a bunch of stuff that defines them and I think what people are forgetting is my whole four years at Miami I was never a problem child and I did everything right and was never in headlines for the wrong thing. It was always for the right thing.”

I like the way she answered the question. I’m giving her benefit of the doubt.


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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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