Luke Wilson almost ended up at UCLA. Instead, the Appalachian State transfer landed at Syracuse after his agent urged him to slow down and weigh a few more options.
Wilson entered the transfer portal on March 31 and was close to committing to Mick Cronin and the Bruins. Then K.J.
Smith stepped in with a different plan. Smith, a former North Carolina player and the son of Kenny “The Jet” Smith, sent Wilson a new list of schools to explore and arranged meetings with four Power Five programs in about a week: Syracuse, Tennessee, Georgia and Louisville.
Wilson first spoke with Ben Lee before meeting with Syracuse coaches Gerry McNamara and Arinze Onuaku, along with the staffs at the other three schools. Three weeks after entering the portal, he had made his call.
“I chose G-Mac and his crew because (of) him and A.O. Those guys stuck out to me the most,” Wilson said of the Syracuse coaches.
“They want to win and they want to compete. That’s something I want to do too.”
McNamara’s pitch helped, but Onuaku’s presence carried real weight in the decision. Wilson saw a chance to learn from a former Syracuse big man who played at the college level and reached the NBA, and that mattered to him as he picked a new home. He also saw a player with a body type that looks familiar.
At 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, Wilson has the kind of frame that invites comparisons to Onuaku, who was 6-foot-9 and 261 pounds during his Syracuse career. Wilson is expected to compete for the starting center job this season, and he liked the idea of being coached by someone who has been in that role before.
“That starting position is always cool but learning from him [Onuaku] and knowing he played at the highest level and him being here, knowing what it takes to get there and stay there too. That was big for me,” Wilson said.
Wilson arrives in Syracuse after two seasons at Appalachian State, where he made his name on the defensive side. Last season he was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 1.8 blocks per game. He also put up 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and closed the year with 12 double-doubles.
Now he faces ACC competition, and he wants his offense to grow with the jump in level. Wilson described himself as more of a “back to the basket guy” who can step out some, but he said he has been expanding that part of his game.
“I’ve been working on shooting a little bit more this year,” Wilson said.
That work has already shown up in Syracuse’s exhibition games. Wilson averaged 10 points and 7.3 rebounds in the Orange’s three tuneups, started the last two against Siena and Niagara, and played as the 11th man in the UConn exhibition. Gerry McNamara came away impressed.
“I thought Luke was terrific,” McNamara said after the UConn exhibition. “I thought Luke impacted the game, to be quite honest, the most with how he rebounded. He altered a few shots.”
Syracuse’s frontcourt has given him a challenge in practice, too. The Orange have a crowded group at the four with Sadiq White, Francis Folefac and Tasman Goodrick, who teammates say is the best rebounder on the team. In the middle, Wilson has been battling another different-look center in Abdramane Siby, a 7-foot player with a 7-foot-6 wingspan from Bamako, Mali.
“Me and Siby go at it every practice. It’s been good.
Me and him making each other better,” Wilson said. “Just two defensive guys going at it.”
That defensive identity is where Wilson expects to make his biggest mark. Syracuse has set its centers to play drop coverage on ball screens, a scheme Wilson said he’s comfortable with. He sees that as the clearest path to helping the Orange.
“A big impact on the defensive end,” Wilson said, “for sure.”
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