From the first day of Willis Wilson’s tenure at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 25, 2011, he made it instantly clear what his goal for the program was.
“We want to be the premier program in the Southland Conference and follow down the paths of a Butler, Gonzaga, George Mason or Virginia Commonwealth.”
Taking a program with one NCAA Tournament appearance and just 12 years of Division I history into a place alongside the premier names in college basketball is a tall task. The first step is building a culture and foundation for the Islanders.
The program’s philosophy for recruiting student-athletes – Character, Toughness, Talent – has been a major step in the building process for the Islanders. The hope for Wilson is that these attributes in his players will build Islanders Basketball into a championship program.
And the Islanders are on the verge of just that.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball has improved its record in each of its first five years under the direction of Wilson, taking just a six-win team in 2011-12 and turning it into three consecutive 20-win seasons.
In 2016-17, Wilson led Corpus Christi to deepest postseason run in program history, finishing the season at 24-12 and reaching the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship Game. The run to the CIT title game was historic in a number of ways as the Islanders won four postseason games to mark the most in school and Southland Conference history. The Islanders also hosted the finals of a national tournament for the first time in program history during their third-straight 20-win season.
The 2015-16 campaign was the best on the Island since the Blue and Green won the Southland Conference Championship in 2007. The Islanders went 25-8, reached the Southland Conference Finals and earned a postseason berth for the third straight year.
The 25 wins were just one shy of the program record of 26, set back in 2007, and marked the second consecutive 20-win campaign for Wilson’s Islanders. Wilson continued to mentor then junior Rashawn Thomas towards numerous awards and records, including Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, NABC First Team All-District and Mid-Major All-America honors.
The year prior, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had what was then its best season since 2007, winning 20 games and advancing to the Southland Conference Semifinals for the second straight year. The Islanders were the only team that season to defeat eventual champion Stephen F. Austin, topping the Lumberjacks at the American Bank Center on Feb. 14.
The 2014-15 campaign marked the Islanders’ second of three straight trips to the College Insider Tournament and opened with a win against recent NCAA Tournament Cinderella Florida Gulf Coast, before hosting the first postseason game in program history, a loss to Kent State in the second round.
Individual honors rolled in once again, as senior John Jordan was named First Team All-Southland for the second straight year, and added NABC First Team All-District honors for the first time. As a sophomore, Thomas picked up Second Team All-Southland recognition in each of those categories as well.
Jordan, in particular, rolled out the milestones, as the Wilson recruit became the school’s all-time leader in points, assists, minutes, steals, games played, games started, free throws made and free throws attempted.
Wilson also earned a personal milestone, as the bench boss picked up his 250th career win in the first game of the season. The 20-win campaign was his first since 2003-04 as a head coach. His team finished strong for the second year in a row, winning six of the last seven contests to enter the Southland Conference Tournament on a hot streak thanks to outstanding defense.
During the 2013-14 season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took a huge step in Wilson’s process, as the team had the third-largest turnaround in the nation, finishing with 12 more wins than it did the season before. The Islanders rolled to a 14-4 record and a second place finish in the Southland, and earned a berth in the College Insider Tournament. With a win over Northern Colorado in the CIT, the Islanders posted the program's first victory in a postseason tournament since its inception in 1999.
Individual accolades came with the team success, most notably for Wilson, who was the recipient of the Ben Jobe Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top minority coach in Division I. Two years later he was again named a finalist for the award.
Before coming to the Island University, Wilson served two seasons as an assistant to Josh Pastner at the University of Memphis. In two years, he saw the Tigers go 49-19 and advance to the postseason both years. During the 2010-11 season, the Tigers went 25-9, won their fifth Conference USA Championship and a berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. In his first season for the Tigers, Wilson helped guide the Tigers to a 24-10 overall record and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth.
Wilson became one of the most respected coaches in the country in his time as the head coach at his alma mater, Rice. In 16 years leading the Owls, Wilson posted a career record of 219-246, leading the team to the postseason three times in his tenure, and finishing as the school’s all-time winningest coach.
The Silver Spring, Md., native led the Owl program to the most postseason appearances since 1950. Wilson guided the Owls to three National Invitation Tournaments (NIT) – in 1993, 2004 and 2005. Rice’s first round win at Wisconsin in the 1993 NIT was the program’s first postseason victory since the 1954 NCAA Tournament. Wilson was also an assistant on the Rice coaching staff when the Owls earned an NIT berth in 1991.
In his tenure at Rice, Wilson coached 17 all-conference performers, including 2007 Conference USA Player of the Year Morris Almond. Almond, a 2007 NBA Draft first round pick, and Michael Harris (2005) both earned All-America accolades. Wilson also had four players pick up CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, including Adam Peakes who was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection.
The 2004 team was Wilson’s most successful, as it won 22 games including the BP Top of the World Classic Championship. For his leadership in 2004, Wilson became the first Rice basketball coach to be selected as the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 9 Coach of the Year since the award began in 1970. During the 2005 season, the Owls won 19 contests and advanced to postseason action in consecutive seasons for only the second time in school history, as Michael Harris and Jason McKrieth again were named all-conference.
Prior to taking over the reins of the Rice program, Wilson spent the 1991-92 campaign as an assistant on Mike Montgomery’s staff at Stanford. The Cardinal finished the season with an 18-11 overall record and a 10-8 Pac-10 mark for fourth place in the league. Stanford earned an NCAA Tournament bid and lost in the first round to Alabama. Wilson coached All-American Adam Keefe, who finished his collegiate career as one of four players in NCAA history to have 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the floor in a career.
Wilson began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater in 1985-86. After a one-year stint as a head coach at Houston’s Strake Jesuit Prep, Wilson returned to Rice as an assistant from 1987-91. As a member of the Rice staff, Wilson helped the Owls improve their Southwest Conference standing each year. During Wilson’s final year as a Rice assistant, the Owls finished fourth in the league and received a bid to the NIT. The winning record was Rice’s first in 20 years and the postseason appearance marked its first in 21 seasons.
After arriving on the Rice campus in August 1978, Wilson was a four-year letterman for the Owls. He co-captained the Owls to a 15-win season in 1982 and was a teammate of former NBA star and Rice Athletic Hall of Fame member Ricky Pierce. Wilson, a Will Rice College Fellow and member of the college court, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1982. He also participated in the Rice NCAA Volunteers for Youth program.
Wilson and his wife, Vicki, have three children, daughter, Kristin, and twin sons, Zachary and Keenan.
