While the details aren’t public, it’s no secret Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson is going to earn significant money from revenue sharing and NIL this year in Bloomington.
One clue indicating how much Wilkerson will make was revealed Thursday when he was asked about a donation he made to the basketball program he just left.
“You gave back. You gave money,” Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman said to Wilkerson. “Six figures to Sam Houston, to help the place that helped develop you and make you into the player you are now. Why?”
“I did it out of love man,” Wilkerson said. “I did it out of love for Coach [Chris] Mudge, for just Sam Houston. I’d been there for three years, so it was home for me. I got comfortable there, I built a family with a lot of people, a lot of donors and everything.
“So I just gave back because I felt like I want to see their program strive. I want to keep seeing them get better over time. So I was willing to help.”
Wilkerson was not heavily recruited out of Ashdown H.S. in Arkansas. He went to junior college (Three Rivers College) after high school, before he got his Division I opportunity at Sam Houston. He developed from a key reserve to one of the top scorers in the country at that school over three years.
One of the unique aspects of this NIL and transfer portal era is the amount of time and effort lower level coaches and programs spend on developing players, only to see the best players leave when their value peaks. That’s exactly what happened with Wilkerson after he became one of the best shooters in the country.
This past season the 6-foot-6 Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.9 minutes per game for Sam Houston. He shot 47.7% from the floor, 44.5% (109-of-245) from three, and 82.2% from the free throw line. He was one of three players in Division I men’s basketball to make at least 100 3-pointers and shoot over 44.0% from behind the arc.
As a result, Wilkerson became one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason. IU had to beat Kentucky and others to land him. And he was probably one of the highest-paid transfers.
But Wilkerson didn’t forget who helped him along the way.
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