Every year, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame unveils a Silver Anniversary Team that honors the best high school senior basketball players in the state from 25 years ago.  Being named one of the top senior high school players in any state carries a lot of weight to it, but it is different.  This is Indiana.
 
As a senior at James Whitcomb Riley High School in South Bend, Marcus Wilson averaged 26 points per game.  He garnered numerous accolades including a spot on the 1995 Indiana High School Basketball Coaches Association All-State Team, Bloomington Herald All-State First Team, All-Conference, All-Sectional and more.  Those credentials would usually result in a prestigious experience – being named to the Indiana All-Star Team.  For Wilson, he would not receive that opportunity.  Instead of letting that get him down, he used it as a motivating factor.
 
Now, twenty-five years later, Wilson feels like things have balanced out.  When the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame released its Silver Anniversary Team for 2020, Wilson was one of 18 players on the list, right next to another name you may know – Brad Stevens.
 
"It means a lot to me – even more so because I did not make Indiana All-Star team as a high school senior," Wilson explained.  "I felt like I was one of top 12 players in the state.  I am one who likes for history to tell my story and looking back at what I did in high school, college and professionally, I think it all balanced out in the end."
 
Following his high school career, Wilson began to write the next chapter of his life – college.  He had the talent to play at the top level and received interest from some of the top programs in the country.  Two of the most recognizable schools that Wilson looked at were Providence and Purdue.  The Friars would have required him to redshirt before a scholarship would be available in his sophomore season while the Boilermakers gave him the chance to walk on. 
 
"I felt like I could play right away," Wilson said.  "Neither of those opportunities would have guaranteed the chance to play.  I wanted to go somewhere that I could be on the floor immediately."
 
Three institutions presented him with that opportunity – Butler, Western Michigan and Evansville.  Luckily for the Purple Aces – Wilson saw them as the perfect fit.  As he explains, he wanted to go somewhere that gave him the best opportunity to grow as a person.
 
"My goal was to step away from home and be my own man," he recounted.  "I wanted to be a little further from home.  It was incredibly hard to adjust at first, but the entire experience made me a much better person and leader in the long run."
 
One of the main reasons Evansville was among his final choices was playing time.  Sometimes that is hard to acquire, especially as a freshman.  Over the first 10 games of his freshman campaign in 1995-96, Wilson estimates that he played roughly 27 minutes.  There were even two occasions where he did not make it into the game   When he heard the possibility of the team redshirting him, it changed his entire focus. 
 
As the season progressed, injuries mounted for the Aces.  Kareem Richardson, Brian Jackson and Stuart Sullivan were among those who suffered an injury.  Wilson thought his time was getting close, but the extra playing time would go to Justin Farley, who had his redshirt removed prior to the ninth game of the season on January 2 versus Florida International.
 
"Over Christmas break, I told my dad that I wanted to quit but he said you are a Wilson – you are not quitting."
 
That proved to be a good decision.  Days later when the Aces hosted Tulsa, Wilson emerged with 19 points and nine assists.  In a January 13 game at Indiana State, he dropped 31 points.  He would go on to finish the season as the top scorer on the team, averaging 13.4 points per game.
 
"I really trusted in my game and stayed ready; I am glad that my dad did not let me quit and run away from the problem," Wilson said.  "That lesson is something I still use now – never quit in the middle of something."
 
As his career progressed, Wilson continued to play at an elite level and firmly cemented himself as the leader of the team during his junior season and with just one more year of eligibility remaining, he and his teammates knew what they had to do before the 1998-99 season.
 
"I had a lot of pressure on me entering my senior year; I recall Coach Crews having a sign that said "Those who stay will leave as champions" and each player who came to UE for four years with Crews left with a championship," Wilson said.  "We were the first class without one, so Curt Begle and I led our guys to put in the extra work.  Following strength and conditioning workouts in the summer, we had the team stay after to play pickup games."
 
While the team did not know where they stacked up in the Missouri Valley Conference, they knew the talent was there to do something special.  There was also a personal quest for Wilson.  He believed that he was the best player in the MVC, but in the preseason poll, the voters tabbed Rodney Buford as the Preseason Player of the Year.
 
In an effort that truly exemplified that actions speak louder than words, Wilson let his on-court play do the talking in a memorable championship season.  He averaged 20.7 points per game and helped the team finish with a 23-10 overall mark and a 13-5 MVC record.  It was Wilson who put the finishing touches on the win that clinched the conference championship.  Taking on Southwest Missouri State in the regular season finale, his game-winning 3-pointer in overtime remains one of the most memorable shots in program history to this day.  Following the regular season, Wilson was recognized as the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.
 
Even the best seasons have a few bumps in the road.  Emotions between Wilson and Crews spilled over during a road game, but both would use it as a positive.  A heart-to-heart conversation helped the pair to set expectations for each other and the results were undeniable.  Not only did they work together to lead the Purple Aces to a championship, their strong bond continued 14 years later when Crews brought Wilson onto his coaching staff at Saint Louis University. 
 
Aside from winning the conference, the Aces also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Earning an 11 seed, Evansville was paired up against sixth-seeded Kansas.  For someone who felt disrespected for a good portion of his career, this was the perfect opportunity for Wilson to show what he was made of.  Just like any champion would do – his level of play rose even higher.  He scored 18 points in the first eight minutes of the game before finishing the day with 34. 
 
"In my time playing at the Five Star Basketball Camps, I faced guys from bigger schools and feel like I got the best of them.  When we drew Kansas, I was so excited; I knew that Ryan Robertson was a potential draft pick," Wilson explained.  "No disrespect to him – but this was my opportunity to show everyone on national TV that I was at the level of playing better than someone who was a possible draft pick.  I took it personal, I did not put myself above team but knew I wanted to win and play well."

Evansville took a 26-15 lead in the opening minutes before the Jayhawks used their size to finish with a 95-74 victory.  It would mark the final game of Wilson's college career.  He finished his career with 2,053 career points.  It was second in program history at the time of his graduation and remains fourth today.  Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in MVC History, Wilson went on to play 11 seasons at the professional level overseas.
 
While he enjoyed great success, he never forgot where he came from.  While he is currently the Executive Director of the YMCA in St. Louis, Wilson has been very active in the Purple Aces community.  He has served as a color commentator in Evansville basketball games on multiple ESPN platforms and has worked to remain active in the University of Evansville campus community.
 
"I just want to be present, if someone needs me, they know I will be there," Wilson concluded.  "It is an honor to have recently joined the UE Alumni Board.  It is about more than basketball – I just want to uplift the university in any way that I can.  If President (Christopher M.) Pietruszkiewicz or the athletics department or basketball program need me, I will do anything that I can."