Three Rivers' Lamar Wilkerson received a postseason honor Wednesday as he was named an Honorable Mention All-American.
"It feels great to be named an All-American," Wilkerson said. "But, I would've liked to have been named to the first team. Definitely going to use that as motivation going forward."
Wilkerson averaged 16.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 27 starts this season, missing only one game due to a sprained ankle in December.
"Lamar had a great season," Raiders coach Brian Bess said. "He was second in the Region XVI Player of the Year voting."
Wilkerson was the first Raider since Camron Reedus in 2017 to be named an All-American and the the 29th All-American in program history.
This season, it wasn't only the stats on paper that stood out for Wilkerson, but his leadership on the court. After a stretch where the Raiders lost four of six in December and early January, they rattled off six straight wins, four of them against Region XVI opponents, thanks in large part to Wilkerson.
"I sat down with Coach (Anthony) Beane when we were losing and I asked him what I needed to do to get us where we needed to be," Wilkerson said. "He basically told me to speak up. We didn't have that accountability and that discipline when we were losing so I had to light the fire under us and we were starting to turn things around.
“I really took it personally when he told me that."
Wilkerson has gotten the attention of coaches at the next level and has gotten four Division I offers so far from Florida International, Sam Houston, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Louisiana Monroe.
A leg injury limited Wilkerson to eight games during his freshman season when he averaged 23.6 points per game.
This past season he was listed as a COVID-freshman.
Wilkerson sank 40.9% of his 3-point shots and was a 78.6% free-throw shooter. He also averaged 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
The 6'4" Ashdown, Arkansas, native scored 20 or more points nine times, including a season-high 31 in a six-point win over Marshalltown (Iowa) on Nov. 13. In the Raiders final game, a 77-76 loss to Moberly Area in the region semifinal, Wilkerson scored 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting.
Robert Augsdorfer - Daily American Republic