Sherron Wilkerson
Sherron Edward Wilkerson[1] (born April 27, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He is the head coach of the Madison Consolidated High School basketball team.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Jeffersonville, Indiana | April 27, 1975
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 198 lb (90 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Jeffersonville (Jeffersonville, Indiana) |
College | Indiana (1993–1996) Rio Grande (1996–1997) |
NBA draft | 1998 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 1998–2005 |
Position | Guard |
Career history | |
1997–1998 | Wisconsin Blast |
1998 | Columbus Cagerz |
1998–2000 | Södertälje Kings |
2000 | South Dakota Gold |
2000–2001 | BK LMT |
2001 | Premiata Montegranaro |
2001–2002 | BK Ventspils |
2002–2003 | Fenerbahçe |
2003–2004 | Universo/BH/Minas |
2004–2005 | Maccabi Haifa |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
High school career
Born in Jeffersonville, Indiana to mother Phyllis Wilkerson,[2] Wilkerson attended Jeffersonville High School, where he started playing varsity basketball in his sophomore year.[3] He was an athletic combo guard who primarily played the shooting guard position: he had a 41-inch vertical, and displayed more defensive ability and team play than scoring attitude.[4] He wore number 20 and averaged 14.1 points in his junior year.[3] That year, he helped his team reaching the state championship finals, in which they lost.[3] He committed to Indiana in September 1992.[4]
He had a very successful senior year, during which he won the 1993 IHSAA state championship while averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 assists.[3] He was considered one of the top shooting guards in the nation,[5] and earned a selection in the McDonald's All-American team: in the 1993 McDonald's All-American Boys Game he did not score.[6] He recorded totals of 1,140 points and 404 assists in 83 games played at Jeffersonville High.[3]
He was originally named 1993 Indiana Mr. Basketball, winning over Maurice Fuller of Anderson by two votes, but the award was then vacated and given to Fuller after Wilkerson left the Indiana All-Star team during a game versus the Kentucky All-Stars while protesting against the coach's decision to bench him.[7] Wilkerson later agreed with the decision to give the Mr. Basketball title to Fuller, renouncing the award and declaring that he felt that his behavior at the All-Star game was a mistake.[8] He was named Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 1993.[9]
College career
Wilkerson appeared consistently during his freshman season at Indiana, even though he was not a starter. Wilkerson was headbutted by coach Bob Knight in a March 1994 game against Michigan State while Knight was berating him during a timeout; Knight later claimed that it was an accident, and that the headbutt was unintentional.[10] Wilkerson ended his first season of college basketball with 28 games played, with averages of 3.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
He sat out his sophomore season on a medical redshirt due to a broken leg.[11] He returned in 1995, and he became a starter, playing almost 30 minutes per game.[12] He averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in the first 17 games of the season. However, in late January 1996 he was dismissed from the team.[2] He was arrested in Bloomington, Indiana after the police was called during an argument between him and his girlfriend in the early morning hours: he was jailed for 12 hours[12] and charged with domestic battery.[11]
After leaving Indiana, Wilkerson decided to play for University of Rio Grande, which participated in the Mid-Ohio Conference of the NAIA; he averaged 25 points per game and was selected in the First Team All-Mid-Ohio Conference.[13]
Professional career
In 1997 Wilkerson signed for the Wisconsin Blast of the International Basketball Association, thus beginning his professional career. He entered his name in the 1998 NBA Draft, but he was not selected.[16] He then played for the Columbus Cagerz in their inaugural season in the United States Basketball League.[17] In October 1998 he signed for the Swedish team Sodertalje Kings, where he played for 2 seasons, leaving the team in 2000.[18] He played 80 games in the Swedish top league, scoring 1,271 points (15.9 average).[19]
He then joined the South Dakota Gold of the IBA, being released in December 2000;[20] after that he transferred to Latvia, signing for BK LMT. Between July and December 2001 he played in the Serie A2 Basket for Premiata Montegranaro, averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.8 minutes per game.[21] After Italy he returned to Latvia, this time joining BK Ventspils.
In October 2002 he had a trial for the Opel Skyliners in Germany.[22] In May 2003 he briefly played in the Turkish Basketball Super League, and in 4 games he averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.[23]
He moved to Brazil in 2003, playing during the 2004 Liga Sudamericana de Básquetbol with Minas Tênis Clube.[1] He ended his professional career in Israel, after playing 5 games in the Israeli Premier League, where he recorded averages of 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 15.6 minutes per game.
References
- "15º Campeonato Nacional Masculino Clubes Participantes - Universo/BH/Minas" (in Portuguese).
- "Sherron Wilkerson enrolling in Rio Grande in Ohio". The Herald-Times. June 13, 1996.
- Hornickel, William (January 29, 2018). "1993 State Champ Red Devils Celebrate 25th Anniversary". jeffathletics.com.
- "Jeffersonville ace commits to IU". The Indianapolis Star. September 30, 1992. p. 9.
- "HOOP SCOOP'S FINAL RANKING OF THE NATION'S TOP 100 SENIORS". Hoop Scoop.
- "The Next 48 are up" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 30, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2020. 1993 game and rosters at page 75.
- Henry, Scott (July 8, 2013). "Indiana Basketball: The 5 Most Disappointing Players in Hoosiers' History".
- "Fuller belated Mr. Basketball choice". The Indianapolis Star. June 29, 1993. p. 27.
- "1992 - 1993 INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHERRON WILKERSON". Gatorade.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- "Knight Head-Butt Called Accidental". The New York Times. March 11, 1994.
- "Knight Dismisses Sherron Wilkerson Following Arrest". Associated Press. January 20, 1996.
- "Wilkerson Latest to Leave IU Team". Associated Press. January 20, 1996.
- "Former Mr. Basketball grows up". The Times of Northwest Indiana. April 19, 2003.
- "1993-94 Individual Statistics" (PDF). iuhoosiers.com. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- "Former IU guard Wilkerson says Knight's return would be "absolutely huge"". insidethehall.com. September 1, 2009.
- "Indiana offers bumper crop of talent for the NBA draft". The Indianapolis Star. June 24, 1998. p. 30.
- "COLUMBUS CAGERZ". Daily Journal. May 2, 1998. p. 13.
- "Sportbladets expert: Dolphins tar guld" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. October 6, 2000.
- "MARATONTABELL SÖDERTÄLJE BBK HERRAR" (in Swedish).
- "BASKETBALL". Argus Leader. December 19, 2000. p. 18.
- "Sharron Wilkerson" (in Italian). legaduebasket.it.
- "SKYLINERS kündigen Vertrag mit Wilkerson fristlos" (in German). October 4, 2002.
- "Wilkerson, Sherron" (in Turkish). tblstat.net.