Q&A with Jamil Wilson
Words. HShoop
Jamil Wilson (photo. Kelly Kline)
Wisconsin has been quietly putting out high-quality ballplayers for more than 50 years. The state known mostly for football and beer is also the birthplace of “Downtown” Freddie Brown, Terry Porter, Nick Van Exel, Latrell Sprewell and Devin Harris to name a few, but its most famous current NBA alum is Caron Butler. High school star Jamil Wilson is from the same Racine, Wis., roots as Caron, and the 6-6 forward at Horlick H.S. has the attention of the top colleges in the country. We got up with Jamil for a few minutes at the Nike Global Challenge this weekend in Oregon.
High School Hoop: Basketball-wise, what’s been the highlight of your summer?
Jamil Wilson: A hustle play I had in Memphis at the Memorial Day Classic. I got a block, then one of the offensive guys got the ball and lost it, so I dove on the floor and got it to one of my teammates. I got back up and they gave it back to me for a dunk. Playing defense to create offense, that was the highlight for me.
HSH: Was there one tournament or camp in particular where you felt you were playing at a really high level?
JW: I’d say the ones in Memphis, Florida … in Arizona I played pretty well. Over the whole summer I’d go to different tournaments with a different mindset; maybe it was to bring offensive pressure or defensive pressure.
HSH: What are you trying to work on at this tournament?
JW: Consistency with my shooting.
HSH: What’s the latest on recruiting?
JW: I released my top seven last Monday. It’s Michigan State, Duke, Texas, Kentucky, Purdue, Marquette and Oregon.
HSH: Is there an NBA player you’d compare your game to?
JW: I’d say a mixture of different types. With my perimeter game, I try to smash Grant Hill and LeBron James together with attacking the basket and knocking down open jump shots. Posting up, my dad always tells me to watch Carmelo.
HSH: What are your thoughts on the Brandon Jennings situation, with him going overseas instead of going to college?
JW: It’s a great move on his part, but then again you gotta think about it — you always wanna go to college and get your degree. Even if you don’t get your degree, it’s still good to continue your education. Now he’s leaving with a high school education; that’s not bad, he’s got his diploma, but get the most education you can while you’re alive, that’s how I see it. But big-ups to him; I wish him the best of luck in Europe.
HSH: Have you had any kind of interaction with Caron Butler?
JW: Yeah, I know Caron pretty well — my dad’s known him for a while. When he comes back to Racine sometimes I play with him. Every time he’s back he drops a word on me, like something to look out for or improve on.
[...] including full game recaps, recruiting updates, and interviews with elite high schoolers John Wall, Jamil Wilson, Jereme Richmond, Aaron Dotson and Jordan [...]
[...] that Jamil Wilson (SF,6′7″,2009) is leaning heavily toward Michigan State, but he has not completely eliminated other schools, including Duke: HSH: What’s the latest on recruiting? JW: I released my top seven last Monday. [...]