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'Calling it the way it is': SJU's Wilson finally gets a hero moment

02/12/2015, 1:30pm EST

By Garrett Miley

Garrett Miley (@GWMiley)
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Chris Wilson has started a lot of games at point guard for Phil Martelli. Eighty of them, if you want to get specific.

The senior has shared the backcourt with two all-time great scorers in Saint Joseph’s history inLangston Galloway and Carl Jones. He’s cut down a piece of the net at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. and hoisted the Atlantic 10 Tournament trophy. He and the Hawks went dancing almost a year ago, but it feels like it’s been forever.

Things haven’t gone the storybook way for Wilson in his senior campaign. The loss of three pros from a year ago in Galloway (New York Knicks),Ronald Roberts Jr. (San Miguel Beermen, Phillippines), and Halil Kanacevic (Union-Olimpija, Slovenia) has left Wilson as the lone contributing senior on a team with a lot to learn.

Wilson has had a difficult season to this point. His scoring and shooting numbers are down from a season ago on a team that lost three double figure scorers to graduation. His minutes are down thanks to a snowballing list of injuries that include a heel injury that will require treatment after the season, as well as hip flexor and back injuries that had Wilson using a heating pad during his spells on the bench against the Rams.

“It’s just been kind of one thing after the other,” Wilson said. “Through it all, I’ve just been trying to lead and be a good teammate. And these guys, they’ve upheld me and told me to stay confident no matter what. And I think that’s a testament to the people around me – my teammates and my family. When things haven’t turned out how I thought they would, I have people around me to keep me up and that’s a blessing.”

And through criticism for his play this season, Wilson is still the point guard this group of Hawks needs.

And they needed him against Rhode Island.

Wilson received the ball from DeAndre Bembry at the top of the arc with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. Without hesitation, the Charlotte, N.C. native rose up and narrowly missed a three point attempt to give the Hawks the lead. Aaron Brown was able to tip the ball out to freshman guardShavar Newkirk. Newkirk hit Wilson with a chest high pass right into his palms. The rest wrote itself. A big shot for the Hawks and a big break for Wilson, who stood and admired the shot after it left his hand.

“I just raised up with confidence in my talent and ability,” Wilson said. “And I’m thankful to God for the opportunity. That was great, man. That was great. And for us to get a stop at the end, that was great because we’ve lost a lot of games this year that exact same way so it felt good to be on the other side of it.”

Wilson has never been the most athletic player on the floor. But what he lacks in agility, he makes up for with his high basketball IQ. He lets the game come to him on the floor, and after the game ends he’s a statsheet junkie in the locker room.

“As the point guard, playing this much basketball at this position I kind of look at the game a different way,” he said. “I could score seven points early and not score for a while and I don’t necessarily think that means I’m playing bad. As a point guard, I kind of approach the game in a different way. The way I look at it is that in the second half [Isaiah Miles] got hot, James [Demery] got hot, DeAndre [Bembry] got hot. I felt better about that than if I’m scoring so then whenever it’s my turn to be aggressive I have to raise up and execute.”

Off the court, Wilson is one of the greatest people on the Saint Joseph’s campus. He possesses strong character, an infectious smile, and a passion for what he does that is inspiring to those around him.

“Calling it the way it is, he hasn’t had much of a senior year so to have that moment for him was pretty good,” Martelli said. “There was something else that happened off the the court that Chris did earlier this week. I felt really good about that, like there was a little bit of a hiccup and he did the honorable thing. To see the ball go in…and I’ll be honest with you, the fact that he shot it? I’m okay with him shooting it.”

And while neither Martelli nor Wilson shed light into the honorable deed done by Wilson, it’s safe to assume behind Wilson’s humbleness was an important act done for his team.

“I mean he’s always saying stuff to me like that,” Wilson said. “It’s kind of subliminal, but he always tells me that he loves me just as much as a person as a basketball player. And that means a lot coming from coach. I think overall, this just feels really good for our team. We haven’t won two games in a row in a long time and a chance to play Fordham a second time with a chance to go win three in a row and heading late into the season…I think this is a good time for us to be playing our best basketball.”