From Kurt Warner to Sandy Koufax, the sports world is filled with the stories of late bloomers: athletes who, for one mysterious reason or another, take a longer time to hone their skills and develop their talents than their counterparts. While some late bloomers are former top prospects who need years and maturity to realize their full potential, many seemingly appear from the depths of obscurity.
Jim Wilson, a junior guard on the men's basketball team, is a perfect example of a late bloomer. Barely a blip on the radar screen of Jumbo basketball last year, Wilson appeared in 18 games, averaging six minutes and 1.4 points per game. But with injuries to sophomore Phil Barlow and junior Lee Neugebauer, Wilson has flourished in a dramatically increased role. In conference play this year, the 6'1" junior guard from Maine is second on time, playing 26 minutes per contest, while averaging 13 points and hitting on 52 percent of his shots from the floor.
"Jimmy is the American success story of sports," coach Bob Sheldon said. "He played JV as a freshman, he was a role player last year, and now he is starting for us. Only in America."
"With Phil going down, we've been trying to try different guys in different roles," Wilson said. "Coach always puts a lot of confidence in every guy he puts out there, and I've just been trying to fit my role. The last two seasons I was playing behind many talented players. With the opportunity I've had, I've just been trying to make the best of it."
Though Wilson has been the first man off the bench all season long, his minutes and production dramatically increased after Barlow was shut down for the season after a Christmas break tournament in upstate New York. His first hugely productive game came on Jan. 17, a 95-75 home loss to UMass-Dartmouth. As the sixth man, Wilson played 21 minutes, finishing with 16 points, five assists, and two rebounds.
"He stepped up and filed the void when Phil went out," Sheldon said. "He plays within himself, so he doesn't take bad shots or make bad passes."
Wilson also had big games off the bench in an overtime win against Bates, netting 21 points and four rebounds. But his best game of the year came in the first start of his collegiate career, an 88-85 loss to Keene State. Wilson led the Jumbos in points with 21, rebounds with 11, assists with five, and minutes played with 31.
"I think my improvement has a lot to do with adjustments I've made," Wilson said. "When I came in as a freshman, I was totally unprepared for the physical nature of the game. I didn't have a lot of experience lifting weights, and I wasn't used to the amount of contact on the court. I think also with experience my ball-handling and finishing have improved. As I've gotten more minutes, I've realized the differences. My preparation and approach has changed, it's a different sort of psyche."
"I think it's all about confidence and opportunity with Jim," junior forward Kyle Van Natta said. "We've all known he could do this for a long time. We've seen this player in practice for three years. But there's a difference between practice and games. Jim has seized the opportunity to play and really shined."
Wilson's scoring outbreak could not have come at a better time for Tufts. When junior Brian Shapiro injured his leg against Trinity and missed two games, the Jumbos were in dire need of offensive help. Yet since Shapiro's return, Wilson's role has changed yet again: he is now chiefly a distributor.
"Since Brian came back, I've been starting at the [point guard]," Wilson said. "I've really tried to be a floor general out there. When Brian was out and the offense needed some more balance, I took more shots. With Brian back, it's my responsibility to try to create shots for guys. I feel like I can produce without shooting, and I can score without shooting a lot."
With an 11-9 overall mark and a disappointing 2-3 record in NESCAC play, the Jumbos have work to do in order to secure a playoff birth. Of the four games remaining on Tufts' schedule, all are NESCAC games, and all will be played at home. For the Jumbos, the goal is simple.
"We want to make the playoffs," Wilson said. "We have four winnable games left. We want to win them all."
"The tournament is all we're thinking about now," Van Natta said. "We've shown we can play with the best. I'm confident we can do a lot of damage if we get into the tournament. Anything can happen."
The Jumbos take to the floor on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Cousens against Williams (18-3, 5-1), followed by a 3 p.m. matinee against Middlebury (10-11, 2-4) on Saturday.
