By FRED KRONER
Basketball is a sport Timmy Wilson has played for as long as he can remember.
“I have been playing basketball since I was born, it feels like,” Wilson said.
Like many young and enthusiastic players, he dreamed big during his childhood when he thought about his future.
“When I was younger, I wanted to play at Duke,” Wilson said.
By the time he was ready to start his high school career at Heritage, however, Wilson wasn’t even sure that he wanted to play anywhere.
“I almost didn’t play basketball in high school because I felt that there was too much pressure on me,” he said.
His father, Brad Wilson, set the still-standing career scoring record at Heritage (1,471 points) before graduating in 1998.
“I felt that if I didn’t live up to that, people would think of me differently,” Timmy Wilson said.
Two people helped convince the teen-ager not to forsake basketball.
“What kept me going was my dad,” Timmy Wilson said. “He told me that I am my own person.”
Heritage boys’ basketball coach Corey White was also supportive.
“He did not want to let anyone down,” White said. “As I told him, I didn’t need him to be like his dad, but instead I needed him to be the best Timmy Wilson he could be.
“He has totally lived up to those expectations. I could not ask for a more dedicated player. I could count on one hand the number of times he missed a basketball event, excluding the COVID year.
“Timmy did what was asked of him without a complaint.”
Wilson acknowledged that most of the pressure was what he put on himself rather than from other sources.”
“I think I would put pressure on myself because I always wanted to be like my dad,” he said. “So I put those high expectations on myself and I would get in my own head when I didn’t meet them.
“I slowly got better with it as the years went on. I started to focus on the game more than the expectations.”
Wilson’s role on the Hawks was to handle the ball, distribute the ball and, when needed, be a threat from three-point range.
The 5-foot-9 point guard made the most of those opportunities. As a senior, Wilson averaged a team-best 3.2 assists per game and averaged 6.8 points per game, fourth-best among the Hawks.
He also drained 40 three-point shots, tying teammate Rylan White for the most among the Hawks.
Wilson will have the chance to continue playing. He has committed to Greenville (Ill.) University.
“The strides he has taken in the last four years have been amazing and I look forward to seeing what he can do at Greenville,” White said. “I think their system, similar to a (fast-paced) Grinnell system, fits his game nicely.
“His ability to shoot will be a great asset to their team. His leadership and knowledge of the game will benefit him greatly, too.”
Wilson will never forget the day he received word that Greenville was interested in him.
“I got the offer to play at Greenville on my birthday (April 26),” Wilson said. “I got a call that night from Coach (George) Barber and he said that they had a spot on the team for me.
“The recruiting process was kind of slow. My dad was a big factor in my recruitment because he did most of the emailing coaches and getting them in contact with me.”
Wilson picked Greenville, which was 7-19 last year, over Eureka College. He also considered enrolling at Parkland College and focusing on academics only.
Visiting the campuses helped to seal the deal.
“At Eureka, I could play basketball, but it didn’t feel like home,” Wilson said. “At Greenville, I could play basketball and it felt like home as soon as I stepped foot on campus.”
Greenville originally got on Wilson’s radar because of a classmate.
“I found out about Greenville from my best friend (Aaron Coffin),” Wilson said. “His brother (Jacob Coffin) went to Greenville and played football for them.”
Wilson was a fixture in Heritage’s lineup the past two seasons.
He posted a high game of 21 points as a senior against Tri-County. As a junior, he was third on the team in scoring and notched a team-high 23 three-pointers.
“Timmy was a major leader for our team the last two years,” White said. “We asked him to be our main ballhandler over the last two years.
“His junior year, having to handle the ball all the time wore him down during games and it affected his shot.
“This year, we were able to have others take some of that load off his hands and he was able to make more shots.
“Part of the shot-making was also helped by the fact that he was not the only consistent outside threat.”
Wilson took pride in being a two-year team captain.
“This leadership and knowledge has led him to help my son, Rylan, improve his game over the last year and also gives him someone to vent to when struggles arise because Timmy has been there,” Corey White added.
Wilson believed his development could have occurred quicker had COVID-19 not forced schools such as Heritage to have an abbreviated season when he was a sophomore.
“It was very frustrating not having a full basketball season sophomore year because I think those extra games would have helped me,” Wilson said.
He progressed at a steady rate thanks to an assortment of people who worked with him.
“The key to my development was repetition,” Timmy Wilson said. “I constantly worked on something and worked on it until I thought it was good enough.
“The people that have helped me develop were Coach Corey White, Coach Shawn Miller, Coach Andrew Fulk, and my dad, Brad Wilson.
“They all had one thing in common: They all wanted me to succeed.”
Joining a program such as Greenville, where team depth is an emphasis for the Panthers, should be a boon for Wilson’s career.
“I know with me being a freshman, I won’t get that much playing time,” he said, “but since Greenville runs the system it will allow me to get more playing time compared to any other college.
“I know that I need to work on my defense and my confidence.”
He sees room for continued growth.
“I am hoping that in college I will improve my skills drastically,” Wilson said. “It will be different because I will have to prove myself all over again, but I know that I have the skills to do so.”
Wilson plans to major in physical education.
“In 10 years, I see myself being a P.E. teacher, having a kid or two, married, and just happy with what God has given to me,” he said.
Wilson was involved in a myriad of sports while growing up, ranging from soccer and track to baseball and basketball, which he called his favorite.
“I love the competitiveness of basketball,” Wilson said. “I believe my strengths are my shooting, passing, my leadership and unselfishness. I would try to find the open man even if that meant I couldn’t shoot it.”
Greenville,which has an enrollment of approximately 900 students, is about a two-hour trip from Heritage. Wilson is appreciative that it’s not further.
“Being two hours away from home, I am hoping it is an easier transition,” Timmy Wilson said. “The difficult part is that I am extremely close with my family (parents Brad and Lisa Wilson).
“I will miss them a lot, but I know that they are proud of me. They will be my motivation when I get to Greenville.”
Even though he won’t be suiting up for Duke, Timmy Wilson harbors no disappointment.
He met the second part of his goal.
“I have always wanted to play college basketball,” he said, “but as I got older, I realized I just wanted to play anywhere.”
He is thankful he didn’t bypass high school basketball. It was a lesson well-learned.
“Do not ever give up on your dreams because you never know what God will give you,” Wilson said.
