After a stint at Madison, Wilkerson spent one year at Logansport and he said it wasn’t an easy decision to leave.
“I got a phone call to see if I was interested,” Wilkerson said. “It was tough. It was a very difficult decision. They are wonderful people. That community was just so warm.”
But, Wilkerson said he’s thrilled to be back at Jeff.
“I feel unbelievable,” he said. “There’s no place like home — all the friends and family. I’m beyond happy. I’m ecstatic.
“I’ll be honest. For me, it’s part of my life calling, I believe. It’s a little bit of divine intervention.”
Wilkerson, a high school McDonald’s All-American before he played at Indiana University and Bob Knight, said he believes he’ll be able to connect to the Jeff players.
“I’ve been through some things in my life that I can share with these kids that can help them with their personal things,” he said. “It has come full circle.
“I’ve been very, very excited. I look at these kids and they remind me so much of myself when I was that age. It’s uncanny how it’s all connected. It’s a dream come true.”
Wilkerson said his goal are simple.
“No. 1, (I want to ) get as many kids into college as possible,” he said. “The second thing, we want to make sure they understand what it means to be a successful member of society.
“We want them to come back. I truly believe that’s the sign of a successful program — when your former players come back. They can share their personal stories and personal feelings.
At Jeff, Wilkerson said his teams will play an uptempo style — all the time.
“We’re going to be Rick Pitino on defense. We’re going to pressure. We’re going to trap. We’re going to be North Carolina on offense. We’re going to push in for 84 feet in both directions.”
