PRINCESS ANNE, Md. —
Bobby Wilkerson, a former head coach at the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore, will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame on March 21 at
the Primo Banquet Hall in New Castle, Ind. Wilkerson served as head men’s
basketball coach at UMES during the 1991-92 season, and won a national
championship as a player for Indiana University.
Wilkerson was a member of
the 1976 Indiana University Hoosiers team that compiled a 32-0 record, and went
on to win the NCAA Championship that same year. Indiana was the last NCAA team
to finish the regular season undefeated and win the national championship in
the same year.
Wilkerson played under Bob
Knight, Indiana’s longest serving coach (1971-2000), who led the Hoosiers to
three national championships in his 29 year career. Knight is second among the
NCAA All-Time Most Wins with 902 in his career.
At that time, Wilkerson was
a senior guard from Anderson, Indiana that had a notable all-around game that
greatly benefited the Hoosiers. Wilkerson played at Indiana from 1973 until
1976 when he was drafted in the first round (11th overall) of the National
Basketball Association draft by the Seattle Super Sonics.
In his seven seasons in the
league Wilkerson was a dual position threat in the NBA as a small forward and
shooting guard. He played with four teams total with his longest stint being
with the Denver Nuggets from 1977-1980. He also played for the Chicago Bulls
before finishing his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He scored 5,424 points, an
average of 10.1 points per game, 2,236 rebounds (4.2 rpg) and dished out 1,835
assists (3.4 apg).
Wilkerson served as head
coach for one season (1991-92) at UMES. Before being named interim head coach,
Wilkerson served as first assistant under then head coach Bob Hopkins, before
working alongside incoming head coach Robert Chavez in the 1993 season.
With limited seats remaining
for the induction, a crowd of over 1,000 guests are expected to attend. The
dinner is scheduled for 6:00 PM at a cost of $50 for adults. Reservations can
be made by calling (765) 529-1891. An open reception will take place at the
Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM on March 23.