Marques Wilson primed for big season for Mountain Hawks
READING, Pa. — Times have been tough for Lehigh University basketball over the last two seasons, going a combined 15-32 during that span. However, the Mountain Hawks return a veteran roster of four juniors and three seniors, including fifth-year graduate student Marques Wilson. Following a season in which he was second team All-Region, Wilson was named preseason All-Patriot League. Last season, Wilson averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game, 10th in the Patriot League.
Wilson, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the elder-statesman and is primed for a big season in his final wearing a Lehigh uniform. Wilson became the first NABC All-District honoree since Tim Kempton in 2016-2017. Last season, Wilson scored at least 20 points in a game on four separate occasions with a career-best 28 over rival Lafayette in the opener. The highlight was a game-winning three-pointer in overtime. In addition to his scoring output, Wilson averaged 2.8 assists per game and was third in the league in steals at 1.6 per game.
Wilson ascended to the leader of the Mountain Hawks following a solid junior season in which he averaged 9.1 points and four rebounds overall and 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds against league competition. He reached double digits in points 12 games and five or more assists in a game six times.聽 Wilson appeared in 12 games as a sophomore, averaging 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. He showed glimpses of what was to come with his seven-point effort against Lafayette.
As a freshman, Wilson played in 29 games, averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds. He was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Feb. 26, 2018. Wilson thrived against Lafayette, going 5-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line on February 24 and scored 15 points against Loyola three days prior.
Prior to his days at Lehigh, Wilson was a three-star, top-50 shooting guard recruit by ESPN, and the number five-ranked player in Oklahoma. A standout at Edmond North High School, Wilson was named Oklahoma All-State, Oklahoma 6A State Champion, State Tournament MVP, and All-Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. As a junior, Wilson averaged 16 points per game and was named honorable mention All-State.
Wilson will lead the 2021-2022 Mountain Hawks which includes seniors Nic Lynch and Jeameril Wilson, and juniors Evan Taylor, Reed Fenton, Jake Betlow and Jakob Alamudun. Lynch and Taylor were starters last season and were second and third on the Mountain Hawks in scoring. Wilson and Fenton should improve on last year鈥檚 production, while Betlow and Alamudun are locks to get more significant minutes.
There is no doubt, however, that the Mountain Hawks’ success lies in the hands of Wilson, who could reach 20 points per game this season as the number one option on offense.聽 Wilson once said that he chose Lehigh because of the coaches. Coach Morra was one of the first coaches that contacted him while still in high school. Wilson felt wanted as now in his fifth season, knows much of the team鈥檚 success falls on his shoulders.
Not only must Wilson provide a large part of the scoring, he knows that he is a mentor on the floor. He will take the lessons he鈥檚 learned in four seasons at Lehigh and pass them to the underclassmen. They would be wise to soak up everything Wilson has to offer in his final season with the Mountain Hawks.
In the end, Lehigh could be a surprise team in the Patriot League with Wilson leading the way, similar to how he did in his high school days back in Oklahoma.
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