NASSAU, Bahamas – After an injury scare Friday night, Jeremiah Wilkinson returned to the floor looking every bit like Arkansas’ veteran scorer it signed out of the transfer portal, pouring in 26 points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes of action.
He was an efficient 7-of-12 from the floor, 5-of-9 from three and a 7-of-9 mark at the free throw line.
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“I feel great,” Wilkinson said. “We just won a game in the Bahamas and I love playing with this team. I have no complaints. I got to fight with them and it was exciting. I can’t ask for more.”
The Razorbacks continue to take care of business in the Bahamas this weekend with a 98-58 victory over Carleton University, the defending national champions in Canada.
Tough As Nails
Wilkinson is considered the least appreciated transfer in all of college basketball, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. The Georgia transfer has never lacked for confidence and has built a strong offensive brand of basketball on his own.
“In my head, I’m gonna go play basketball,” Wilkinson said after the game. “However the media, the fans, and everybody wants to take it, that’s how they’re going to take it. I can’t control that if they want to not respect what I do, if they want to praise what I do. That’s not really up to me.
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“My job is to go play basketball, play with these guys. Just knowing that we have a great team, and there’ great guys around me. So, it’s not like I’ve gotta go out there and try to be a superhero and try to do this [on my own]. I just get to play my game and have some success.”
While Wilkinson had the choice to sit out and recover from his fall on Friday, he told coaches he wanted to be out there and essentially proved his toughness to the coaching staff and trainer Matt Townsend.
“He was super duper tough,” Arkansas assistant coach Chin Coleman said of Wilkinson. “Matt Townsend said jokingly, ‘If we keep recruiting these tough guys I’m going to look like a really good trainer.’
“We had Darius Acuff last year, and now Jeremiah.”
All About We
The rising junior probably won’t average 25+ points per game every single night, but he will be expected to contribute on a consistent basis due to his shooting ability.
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He is a creative shot taker and isn’t afraid to finish at the rim on any given possession.
Arkansas is attempting to replace a pair of stellar freshmen scorers from last season, and Wilkinson has shown early on that he is a willing and efficient shot taker from anywhere on the floor.
After playing for two different teams as an underclassman, Wilkinson comes over to Arkansas trying to figure out the role he will play this fall. Whether he is a starter, coming off the bench or being an energy guy, he wants to be a part of a team that is focused on winning games and making noise in March.
As a player who has already played in the ACC and has a year of experience under his belt in the SEC, it’s his turn to help mold his young teammates at Arkansas whether he’s having a great shooting night or an off night. There are eight freshmen on this team and third-year coach John Calipari will be looking for him to step up every night and lead this team to the finish line.
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Jeremiah Wilkinson celebrates after a made shot during Saturday’s game against Carleton University in the Baha Mar Summer League. | Razorbacks MBB, X
“My job here is to keep expanding my game and being a leader to these [young guys],” Wilkinson said. “We have a lot of young guys so it’s on me to lead. It’s on me to have good days whether I make zero shots or 100 shots, I still have to be a leader.
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“I still have to be talking, and you know, these guys make it easy. We have a super talented group and they listen. We talk well, so it’s easy for me just to fit into a role and just be the upperclassman now and trying to be a leader.”
His leadership role expands off the court by encouraging his teammates to battle each day, and giving them words to thrive off of. If one guy is lacking somewhere, it’s important for someone like Wilkinson who is willing to keep them accountable.
This Arkansas team will go as far as the core leaders can take them, and apparently they’re all responding to the mentorship on and off the court.
“Our goal is to be the most physical team every time we step on the court and we know that,” Wilkinson said. “Defense translates everywhere you go. So, that’s our goal. In practice, we battle every day. We’re playing hard.
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“We’ve got freshmen that look like [JJ Andrews]. We’ve got freshmen like Jordan Smith, Jr. We’ve got freshmen like Abdou Toure. We’re physical, we can guard and we have a lot of athleticism. Knowing that no matter what’s going on outside, if you play defense, that translates to any gym you step in whether it’s outside, indoors, it doesn’t matter.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as ‘I Don’t Have To Be A Superhero’: Wilkinson Thriving In New Role with Razorbacks.
