During Devin Wilson’s sophomore year of high school, the two-sport star for Montour (Pennsylvania) High School considered giving up the sport he had been playing since childhood — basketball. A gifted enough athlete to play football or basketball at the Division I level, Wilson considered focusing his efforts on the gridiron.

When he told his dad what he was thinking, Pierre Wilson insisted otherwise.

“My dad told me you can never shorten your options and to just keep playing both sports,” Wilson said. “He made sure I stuck it out and he was being smart. Just look where I am today.”

Today, you won’t find Wilson on the gridiron, but instead as a sophomore point guard leading Virginia Tech in assists. Regarded among the top five high school wide receivers in Pennsylvania by several recruiting websites, Wilson chose to leave multiple Division I football offers on the table.

He contributed right away last season, setting the Virginia Tech single-season assist record for freshmen. The success has continued, and Wilson credits his football background for helping him to adjust to the fast and physical style of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“Devin was always such a talented athlete,” Pierre Wilson said. “As he started to enjoy success in high school, I knew it wasn’t a matter of whether Devin would play a sport in college; it was going to be a matter of which sport he would play in college.”

Wilson insists he liked both sports equally until his senior year, when he and his father sat down and began one of the many discussions they would have moving into the heart of the recruiting process. They talked about what school was going to be the best for Wilson, regardless of the sport.

Wilson said the fall of his senior year was frustrating at times because he couldn’t start eliminating schools before he decided on a sport. The football season was filled with a lot of uncertainty regarding his future, despite his 1,000-plus receiving yards.

After D-I football offers from Akron, North Carolina State, Ohio and Temple, Wilson began his basketball season with no inkling of plans for his future.

Midway through basketball season, Wilson made up his mind.

“I felt like basketball would be a better calling for me,” said Wilson. “I felt my potential was higher in basketball than it was in football and I found out during my senior season that I enjoyed going to practice every day.”

While there was no specific moment that prompted the decision, Wilson attributes the success and fun he had playing basketball as the main catalyst for the decision.

Wilson started to take advantage of the opportunity to work on his skills every day, something that football didn’t offer him.

“I knew what I was as a football player. I wasn’t a huge receiver. I was about 185 or 195 pounds,” Wilson said. “I had good hands, played hard and ran good routes. It was different with basketball. I knew I still had so much I could work on. My ceiling was high.”

Basketball was different from football where Wilson felt he could only really lift weights or practice running routes and catching passes.

Wilson liked the idea of being able to go into the gym and shoot 500 shots, work on his ball handling and still be able to do some weight training. With basketball, he could continue working on his skills with others or on his own.

“Basketball gives him the chance to improve and keep getting better, as often and as much as he wants,” said Christian Wilson, his older brother.

In addition to the extra time in the gym, the wear and tear on Wilson’s body that came at the end of each football season made for a tough transition. Now that his falls would consist of only basketball, it was a welcome change from taking hits from opposing defensive backs.

On Wilson’s official visit to Virginia Tech following his senior campaign, then-head coach James Johnson sat him down in the locker room. Johnson told Wilson where he saw him fitting with the Hokies and proceeded to offer.

In his first season, Wilson showed that he belonged, earning a spot on the ACC All-Freshman first team with Jabari Parker and Tyler Ennis. This year, he continues to improve and show that he has yet to reach his ceiling.

“He was always a great player in both sports,” said Adam Kaufman, Wilson’s high school basketball coach. “But, you got to go where you think your potential might be. Devin has proved he made the right choice.”

Published on January 2, 2015 at 6:18 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu