MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. — Arkansas men's basketball coach John Calipari knew exactly what he was getting when he landed Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson out of the portal. At least, that's what he thought early in the offseason.
The third-year Razorbacks coach knew Wilkinson could score with the best of them, but it wasn't until the two got together in Fayetteville that he discovered just how competitive the 6-foot-1 guard could be on the defensive end.
Wilkinson is coming off a breakout sophomore season with the Bulldogs by starting in 21-of-31 games and averaged over 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The Razorbacks needed to add more scorers this offseason following the departure of consensus All-American Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas.
He became an exceptional scoring option following his freshman season with the Cal Bears. His motor was apparent early on, helping Georgia become one of the most efficient offensive squads due to him drilling 41% of his field goal attempts, 36% from three, and a 79% mark at the free throw line.
"His ability to score, his athleticism. I really liked," Calipari said of Wilkinson while in the transfer portal. "What I didn't know about him is he can defend. First of all, he can pick up and bother the ball. But playing against Jordan [Smith], he is like a middle linebacker, literally like a middle linebacker. He was going one on one and going right at Jeremiah. Jeremiah chested him and held. It was like two guys."
His attitude after losing a single rep is something that's hard to gauge when recruiting somebody in such a short amount of time. But Wilkinson shows up each day ready for battle no matter what's asked of him, which is something Calipari is confident will translate to the regular season.
"If he scored, Jeremiah was mad," Calipari continued. "If he blocked it and someone called a foul, he would go nuts. 'I blocked that, I didn't foul.' I did not know that. You don't know about a player's competitive spirit and all the things he can do until you start coaching him."
Calipari isn't going to need Wilkinson to be an elite scoring threat on each possession. Honestly, that's why he brought the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year in Jordan Smith in as arguably the best two-way guard in the country as a freshman.
Wilkinson's usage rate will likely go down a tad from his sophomore season, but that doesn't mean his role will matter any less with the Razorbacks. Everything for the Bulldogs centered around him with his usage rate sitting at 30.4% last season.
Less dribbling and more scoring is the name of the game his game, but he will have the opportunity to be a bit creative in transition.
"Now, less is more," Calipari said. "I don't need [Wilkinson] to overdribble. Less is more. Score the ball. If he doesn't shoot, I stop practice. Why didn't you shoot that? How about you drive in there.
"He likes to throw bounce passes. We don't throw bounce passes. I just told you we have three seven-footers, three 6'11". Billy's head is on the rim. Abdou is too. Why would you throw a bounce pass? "Because that's what I do." Now I got him throwing lobs. He knows it. I tell him, you can do this. The greatest kid. But I'm his third coach. So I think he's been doing great."
On a roster with plenty of offensive firepower, his competitive edge might be exactly what helps him stand out and keep him on the floor during the most intense moments throughout the year.
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