Wilson Out to Prove a Point
For anyone who knew Derrick Wilson and his long history of excellence on the hardwood, it was easy to see that he wasn’t his normal self this summer.
The Hotchkiss guard ran with the New York Gauchos for the second consecutive summer, but had a new group of teammates after playing up in the seventeen-and-under division last season.
This summer’s Gauchos squad featured a number of highly talented perimeter players, who all needed the ball in their hands to be effective. Wilson stepped up and played out of position, often times matching up with opposing frontcourt players, to do whatever was necessary to help his team win games.
“We had a team full of guards and no one wanted to play inside,” he said. “I took that responsibility. I think that’s what college coaches look for is someone who will do whatever it takes to win games.”
While Wilson undoubtedly helped his team win games, his sacrifice came at a deep personal cost as many criticized his lack of point production throughout the month.
Now, Wilson has returned to the Hotchkiss School ready for his last go-round on the NEPSAC circuit and eager to prove his critics wrong.
“I’m just looking forward to the whole season and being back at the point,” he said. “I’ve worked on my shot a lot and feel like my driving game is a given. A lot of teams like to play off me or stay in the zone and I plan to prove they can’t do that anymore.”
If Monday’s open run was any indication the power guard is set to do just that as he not only made his trademark bully drives to the rim but also stroked the ball from behind the three-point line.
On the recruiting front, Wilson’s doubters haven’t scared off much of his high-major interest as he lists Stanford, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, and DePaul as his top five.
Stanford was in the gym on the first day of the contact period with the four remaining schools expected to come in later this month.
Derrick Wilson