The Jamaal Wilkes Minute

Time for a quick update. Look for my regular summer post discussing the off-season acquisitions later in the week.

On Wednesday, 8/12, Henry Abbot of TrueHoop.com made a post detailing the sly and deceptive style of Jamaal Wilkes, and how his game translated well even when guarding guys who outweighed him “by 100 lbs.” or more (linking the original from a Bounce Magazine interview with Alejandro Danois). In a thoughtful manner, he discussed how his background in martial arts aided his positioning and footwork.

No mention of where he learned his free throw style, though:


The Truehoop.com post reminded me of a story from when I was growing up.

My father used to coach our 11-12 Rec league team at the Westchester YMCA, a decent group of kids that actually went undefeated that season. It just so happened that Jamaal Wilkes' son, Omar, was on the team as well. (He actually went on to play at UC Berkley, and did pretty well there.)

We played on Saturdays, and one week we had planned to take a family trip, meaning we were going to miss the game. As my dad was looking for a replacement coach for the week, Jamaal actually volunteered for the job without being asked.

After practice, he showed up to pick up Omar, and had a worried look on his face.

"Now John, is there any system you want me to run, any set plays? And what about defense? How do you like to set up?" He had a million questions, including who our opponent was and whether we had played them before…basically, had he scouted them.

Dad looked at the three-time NBA All-Star and said, "Jamaal, you were in the NBA for twelve years. You played under Wooden and Riley. I'm pretty sure you can handle these twelve-year-olds."

My Dad told him what he could, but I always found it endearing how concerned Jamaal was about mucking up the plans for this little Rec league. It really shows what kind of stand-up guy he is.

And yes, we won the game.


You can learn more about Jamaal Wilkes
Here and Here.