Reunion at San Miguel

San Miguel Beer team manager Gee Abanilla said the other day Tyler Wilkerson is at the top of the wish list for an import in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and the plan is to bring the 6-8, 240 pound power forward to Manila this week. If Wilkerson lands the job, it’ll be a grand reunion with his former Marshall University teammates Chris Ross and Chris Lutz.

“We’re still working on Tyler but yes, we’re seriously eyeing him,” said Abanilla. “Hopefully, we can bring him over this week.” Wilkerson is scheduled to leave the US tonight and arrive in Manila on Friday morning.

Wilkerson, 27, is a fit for San Miguel as he plays the four spot, complementing center JuneMar Fajardo and Arwind Santos who is a natural three. He’s a prolific inside-outside scorer who’ll ease the offensive burden on Fajardo’s shoulders. His familiarity with Ross and Lutz will be an advantage.

Wilkerson played a season with Ross and two with Lutz at Marshall, a public research university and NCAA Division I contender in West Virginia. Another teammate was Hassan Whiteside, now with the Miami Heat. Marshall has produced other NBA players like Mike D’Antoni and Hal Greer.

The PBA won’t be the first overseas league for Wilkerson who’s played in Israel, Puerto Rico, China and Korea. Last season, he averaged 35.1 points and 15.3 rebounds with Hang Sen Guayzhou in the NBL, a second-tier Chinese minor league a level below the CBA.    The year before, Wilkerson averaged 34.3 points and 13 rebounds with Guayzhou. He has also played two seasons in Korea, averaging 21.5 points in 2013-14 and 17.9 points in 2014-15.

Former Marshall coach Donnie Jones, who mentored Wilkerson in three of his four varsity seasons, maximized the use of the bruising frontliner. “We stepped him out on the perimeter, we ran a lot of pick-and-roll action and he was also a pick-and-pop guy,” said Jones. “He can shoot threes, he can post up, too. He was our best back-to-the-basket scorer. One thing he’s better at is facing the basket and shooting it in transition. We looked for him to shoot it more outside the lane.”

In 2008-09, Wilkerson broke his jaw and missed the Thundering Herd’s last 10 games but still averaged 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting 71.9 percent from the line. Lutz played his first of two seasons at Marshall and averaged 10.7 points. Lutz was a transfer from Purdue where in 2006-07, he led the Big Ten in three point shooting at 47.2 percent on 58-of-123 attempts.

As a senior in 2009-10, Wilkerson averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds. Marshall posted a 24-10 record. He reported for duty in his last collegiate season with his weight down to 247 pounds and his body fat reduced by four percent. He shot 51.8 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from beyond the arc and 77.1 percent from the line.

Wilkerson was undrafted in the NBA and tried his luck with the San Antonio Spurs in two Las Vegas summer leagues. He made it only up to the preseason games and saw action in two D-League campaigns before focusing on playing overseas.

Last year, Wilkerson was a monster in offense with Guayzhou. He scored 51 points, including 12-of-16 free throws, against Heilongjiang. Wilkerson shot at least 40 points in eight games and grabbed at least 20 boards in four. He also terrorized the Puerto Rican league last season and in his best performance, scored 42 points, including 4-of-9 triples and compiled 14 rebounds in leading Quebradillas to a 97-90 overtime win over Mayaguez.   

Wilkerson majored in Sports Management and Marketing with a minor in Business at Marshall. His favorite team is the Miami Heat and favorite player is Amar’e Stoudemire. He has five siblings. At Lafayette High School in Lexington, Wilkerson averaged 19 points and 12.4 rebounds as a senior and received commendations as an all-state player.

If Wilkerson makes the grade, he’ll anchor San Miguel’s bid to make up for a poor showing in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup where the Beermen failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished a dismal ninth with a 4-7 record. San Miguel opened the second conference with import Ronald Roberts and after a 0-4 start, brought in undersized Arizona Reid who came in earlier than scheduled. Reid stayed on to power San Miguel to the Governors Cup title.