Boulder High grad now Michigan man
Luke Wilson was in awe when he climbed the ladder beneath a basketball hoop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last weekend. He suited up for Boulder High School a year ago. Now, he was cutting down a net to help celebrate Michigan’s trip to the Final Four.
“I couldn’t really speak,” Wilson said. “I literally didn’t have any words. I just kept repeating, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ ”
Wilson’s journey to this moment was never guaranteed. He starred at Boulder High for two varsity seasons, averaging 19.2 points per game as a senior and shooting 91.8 percent at the free-throw line — the fifth-best high school free-throw performance in the nation. But his only offers to play in college were from Division III schools on the East Coast.
Option No. 2: Enroll at his dream school, Michigan, and try to walk on.
“If I went Division III and didn’t even try to play at Michigan,” Wilson said, “I would always wonder what could have been.”
Luke was born not long after the Wilson family relocated from Michigan to Colorado. There are photos of him wearing Wolverines gear at age 3. His fandom never relented. So when he was accepted into Michigan, he contacted the men’s basketball program and set up a walk-on tryout the same day as orientation. Wolverines coach John Beilein directed Wilson for a one-on-one workout and then met with the family to discuss his future.
Beilein initially played coy, Wilson said, indicating there was more to sort out before making final determinations. Then the mood changed. Beilein smiled and said: “Congratulations. You’ve made the team.”
“We’re all looking at each other like, ‘Am I hearing this right?’ ” said Wilson’s mother, Sandy. “Luke’s face was priceless.”
Wilson, a 6-foot freshman guard, played the final minutes of only two nonconference games this season, though his impact goes beyond a stat sheet. He plays on the Wolverines’ scout team to mimic an opponent’s strengths. His competitive streak was documented in a recent Detroit Free Press article that tells the story of Wilson shoving Michigan’s star point guard, Zavier Simpson, in practice after a hard foul. Simpson appreciated the intensity.
“I think I actually gained some respect from that,” Wilson said. “It caught some people by surprise.”
Wilson’s coach at Boulder, Jack Clarke, said: “I can’t imagine a better makeup for a walk-on. He knows exactly what his role is and embraces it. He’s a ton of fun to watch on the bench with his energy and living and dying on everything.”
Michigan (32-7) plays Loyola Chicago (32-5) at the Final Four in San Antonio on Saturday. There is little glory in Wilson’s role. That hasn’t made the experience any less special.
“I don’t think I could do this at any other school,” Wilson said. “Just to know that I played a part in our success, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”