Jamil Wilson has new opportunity with Otule sidelined

Jamil Wilson’s career at Marquette didn’t get off to the fast-paced start many expected, but an injury in the front court has given him the opportunity (and playing time) to help the Golden Eagles in redshirt junior center Chris Otule’s absence.

Many expected Wilson to be plugged into Jimmy Butler’s role at the “three” from a year ago, but Buzz Williams instead elected to go with a three-guard lineup, using sophomore Vander Blue and his rebounding ability over Wilson or even Davante Gardner.

Wilson played through the team’s “line change” rotations through six games, seeing double-digit minutes in every contest. However, there seemed to be an aggressiveness lacking in Wilson. It was as though he was going through the motions, hoping not to mess up, instead of using his athleticism to overpower opponents on both ends of the floor.

“The stress that I apply to those guys, the stress that the culture applies to those guys, [it] takes a long time to figure out,” Williams said of the collegiate atmosphere, following the Northern Colorado game. “And we need Jamil probably to pick up the pace on him figuring it out.”

Jamil Wilson will be called upon to produce in place of the injured Chris Otule. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Wilson has shown improvement over the last month, after 20 months away from any live game action. Williams said Wilson is almost a freshman in this sense, attempting to understand concepts and strategies and then acting them out in game situations.

The process of learning on the go was sped up considerably when Otule injured his knee in the opening minutes of the Washington game on Dec. 3. While there seems to be optimism that Otule will play again this season, not only is Wilson needed to produce more and play more minutes, but now his progression will come in pressure situations against elite talent.

“We’ve begun to count on him more,” Williams said. “The problem is some of that was forced on him when Chris got hurt. I don’t have an opportunity to hide you and give you an opportunity to learn from Jae. Now you’re going to have to be out there sometimes with Jae, and that kind of changes things.”

The ultra-athletic Wilson has shown glimpses of stardom a handful of times in the early going, but he put together his best all-around game last Saturday against Northern Colorado. Wilson scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and had a pair of assists and blocks in the win.

Wilson was aggressive inside and, on one sequence grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in for two, which resulted in Williams jumping up and down with his fists in his air celebrating. When asked what caused such jubilation on a seemingly routine play, Williams summed up his sophomore’s night.

“Just glad that he’s around the ball and glad that he got a rebound,” Williams said. “Glad that he was able to put it back, glad that he was fouled, glad he made the free throw. We need some of those. And he’s a guy that should lead us in those with his talent. I thought it was by far the best he’s played and it’s because of his mentality.”

Wilson’s muscular frame pushed him down into the paint instead of to the perimeter and, while that kept him from seeing serious minutes playing behind Otule, Crowder and Gardner in the early going, it’s now the reason Marquette may be able to survive inside.

Much of Marquette's defensive success could hinge on Wilson's ability to defend in the paint. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

He is still learning the position and figuring the ins and outs of Big East basketball. Many of his fouls (and he’s committing 5.3 per 40 minutes) come away from the ball or on the floor, rather than on shots around the rim or over-aggressive attempts at steals. With Marquette’s bench limited to four forwards and Juan Anderson if needed, Wilson can’t afford cheap fouls like the three he picked up against LSU.

While he struggled in Monday’s loss to the Tigers, his 14 minutes were a test inside against talented bigs in Justin Hamilton and Ralston Turner. LSU picked on Wilson and, aside from the fouls, he held his own.

Wilson’s increase in minutes (21.6 mpg since the Wisconsin game) in place of Otule has given Marquette a more versatile rotation, something the forward said is a positive.

“It’s good for us as a team. It increases our ability to do things on defense as well as offense. It increases our ability to get up and down the floor,” Wilson said. “I’m fine with it. It gives us a lot of freedom. The plays are pretty much set that any given option when you get the ball it’s a scoring area.”

Wilson will be relied upon until Otule comes back, and the hope is that by the time that happens Wilson has found his role and will continue to contribute.

“The expectations are for him to continue to grow and continue to evolve,” Williams said. “I think he’s been fine and that he’ll continue to improve.”