Trenton’s Sutton comes home with Globetrotters
La’Keisha Sutton entered the West Ward Recreation Center with a smidgen of gamesmanship.
She whirled the basketball on her index finger for a photo then offered an insight.
“My hands are cold, so, I may need a little time to warm up,” Sutton warned.
The former South Carolina University star via Trenton Catholic Academy requested a rebounder then showed the genesis of her nickname.
Sutton found a position angled about 25 feet left of the basket then launched a shot that touched nothing but net. A second? All nylon.
And while a third shot barely touched iron but still flushed the twine, Sutton showed why they call her “Swish”. Sutton smiled after she nailed the script.
La’Keisha Sutton showcases her skills Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m. as a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters who visit CURE Insurance Arena. Sutton, one of about ten women to join the basketball champions, described a wanderlust that occurs each time she takes the court for the basketball team that has thrilled millions over the course of nine decades.
“If there are nerves they exist only until the tip. And after that, after the ball touches my hands for the first time, it’s just like I’m lost in this fantasy, just playing basketball and having a great time. It’s hard to explain but real special,” Sutton said.
Sutton has lived a life in rarified air as a Stuart Day School middle school student followed by high school education and basketball stardom at Trenton Catholic Academy with coach Khaliq Lewis El and then more fame at South Carolina as a player for coach Dawn Staley.
Sutton considers Lewis El, Mel Weldon and Thomas Brown as father figures, men who coached and guided her on and off the basketball court.
Sutton laughed when the conversation recalled Staley selected her as the first block in building a team that would eventually win the 2017 NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship.
“The team won after I left but make sure everybody knows that Coach Staley considered me the first brick in establishing a great basketball program,” Sutton joked. Sutton scored 1300 points in her Gamecocks career and left campus with a degree in broadcast communications and a moniker of the “fan favorite” for South Carolina supporters. Sutton eventually created a clothing apparel line with the same name, wrote a book and gained business success.
Sutton grew up in Rogers Gardens and Prospect Village, not far from the West Ward Recreation Center. The projects never held her back as she knew education and basketball were a way out.
“My mom, (Melinda) brought me here for recreation. I was seven or eight and just loved coming here to play basketball. This is my spot,” Sutton noted, as she stood near a mural that includes her image. Local artist Leon Rainbow painted the mural “and he had the girl wearing No. 13,” Sutton remembered. “But a lot of the kids here were like, put No. 11 on her, that’s La’Keisha’s number. She’s one of us.”
That fact has never been removed from Sutton’s legacy, an understanding that she belongs to Trenton despite the fact that a previous professional basketball career delivered her to numerous world arenas in six different countries.
Sutton looks forward to her CURE Insurance Arena appearance. “I’ve played in big games for TCA and South Carolina, large arenas during my professional career but I’m looking forward to playing in Trenton as a Harlem Globetrotter,” she said.
“This is my home and there’s nothing quite like playing where you’re from. I love Trenton, all the people from the neighborhood who supported me. I can’t wait to suit up and to play in front of everybody.”
Sutton noted a strong faith that allows her to envision ginormous dreams that many teens may never experience although her heart wish desires opportunity for every city kid. Her resume includes membership in the Association of Christian Athletes while at South Carolina.
“The time at Stuart Day School, in Princeton, allowed me to see outside of Trenton. Many people can only see what they’re exposed to. So, getting a scholarship and having my mom pay the extra money for me to attend Stuart, it opened my eyes and showed me a different world. Trenton Catholic was just further confirmation about myself, education and athletics,” Sutton said.
Sutton paused a moment, almost as if she watched a condensed reel of her life, or off on a fast break seeing everything on the court, defender, trailer and pull up jumper — Swish.
“I think everyone needs perspective. I want to be a symbol of hope and possibility for other people in Trenton. I want people to be part of my journey and just believe in themselves. Everyone can achieve greatness, it’s just a matter of focusing,” Sutton explained.
“You know, in every stop we make as Globetrotters the announcer says from Trenton, New Jersey — “Swish” Sutton. I really appreciate that. Love it.”