Utah State basketball: Wilkinson nears a record in his journey to success

LOGAN — By now, Gary Wilkinson's story has been told and retold dozens of times.

His tale of descent down a self-destructive path and subsequent journey to redemption has been published in Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and plenty of local media outlets.

Wilkinson's story starts with a troubled youth dropping out of high school and finding a direction and purpose in life only after a close friend took his own via suicide.

His journey has led him to the point where he needs only 21 points to pass the 1,000-point plateau, joining 32 other former Aggie players.

When he reaches 1,000 points, he'll be one of only eight two-season Aggies to reach the mark.

It's a story that has given him experiences in life not many other college basketball players can draw on as they deal with the adversity that accompanies life as a college basketball player.

"Being able to have that life experience allows me to take things on my shoulders," Wilkinson said. "I can see things maybe a little differently and carry things."

Wilkinson is undeniably a leader on this 26-4 Aggie team.

The emotional redhead is Utah State's leading scorer, leading rebounder and only senior.

At 26 years old, he also by far the elder statesman on the team and gets his share of ribbing about it.

"The other day, Tai (Wesley) was saying something about something happening in the '30s and asked if I was around to witness it live," Wilkinson said. "I'm not that much older than those guys."

Still, he is a leader in many ways, and his coach and teammates are quick to point that out.

Matt Formisano, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward from Colorado, said he has learned from Wilkinson throughout the past two seasons.

"A great leader," Formisano said, one who "leads by example with his attitude and work ethic."

It is, perhaps, those hard lessons learned early in his life that have shaped Wilkinson into the man and player he is today.

Though 26, the 6-foot-9 Wilkinson did not play high school basketball.

His self-admitted attitude problems got him kicked off the team before he even made it through tryouts at Bingham High School, and he didn't play organized hoops until he showed up at Salt Lake Community College and asked if he could try out for the team.