Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson is giving back to his former school. Wilkerson, who transferred to the Hoosiers this year after three with Sam Houston, revealed on Thursday that he made an unprecedented, six-figure donation to his former school.
Wilkerson, the No. 45 overall player available in the 247Sports transfer rankings, committed to Indiana earlier this offseason after spending the last three years with the Bearkats, where he developed into one of the top 3-point shooters in the country.
Wilkerson’s reasoning? He wanted to see his former school thrive.
“I did it out of love, man,” Wilkerson told The Field of 68. “I did it out of love for coach (Chris) Mudge, for just Sam Houston. I’d been there for three years, so it was home for me. I got comfortable there, I built a family with a lot of people, a lot of donors and everything. … I want to keep seeing them get better over time. So, I was willing to help.”
Wilkerson was coming off a career year when he decided to enter the transfer portal. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while shooting an impressive 44.5% from the 3-point line. Wilkerson was highly sought after in the transfer portal because of his ability as a shooter. He ultimately committed to Indiana over Kentucky and Auburn, among others.
Mudge, who is entering his third season as the coach of the Bearkats, was left astonished when he heard from Wilkerson about his donation.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re not coming back,'” Mudge told SI.com. “And not because I didn’t want him to, that would be phenomenal, but that shows his loyalty … Lamar has earned the ability to get life-changing money for him and his family.”
Wilkerson was part of a star-studded class that arrived this offseason to play for first-year coach Darian Devries. The Hoosiers transfer portal haul — which finished No. 10 in the 247Sports rankings — was headlined by Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries (West Virginia) and Reed Bailey (Davidson).
