6-8 Mac Wilkinson Signs With Men's Hoops
July 19, 2000 | Men's Basketball
May 16, 2000
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mac Wilkinson, a 6-8, 235-pound all-state forward from Ballard High School in Louisville, has signed a national letter-of-intent to continue his basketball playing career at the University of Louisville.
Wilkinson averaged 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds as a senior last season for Coach Chris Renner as Ballard posted a 27-4 record, advancing to the regional semifinals. He shot 58 percent from the field, including 47 percent of his three-point shots.
"Mac is a quality young man and a versatile player," said University of Louisville Head Basketball Coach Denny Crum. "He has the size to play inside or use his shooting ability to score from outside. He's a proven winner on and off the court and represents the type of player and attitude we want within our program. He's been well-coached at one of the top high school programs in the nation."
Wilkinson was honored on the five-man Associated Press All-State team as a senior and earned all-region recognition the past two years. Ballard was ranked among the nation's top 15 team throughout the year until its season-ending loss.
Wilkinson is the brother of Felton Spencer, who played four years at U of L (1986-90) and the last 10 in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves (1990-93), Utah Jazz (1993-96), Golden State Warriors (1996-99) and San Antonio Spurs (1999-2000). A third-team All-America selection as a senior by Basketball Times, Spencer ranks 35th in career scoring at U of L with 1,168 points and holds U of L records in field goal percentage for a season (.681 in 1989-90) and career (.628).
"We're very pleased to have the brother of one of the great success stories in U of L basketball history on our team," said Crum.
Wilkinson scored 1,290 career points, ranking among the top 15 at Ballard. As a junior, Wilkinson averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds as Ballard won the 1999 Kentucky State Championship with a 31-7 record. He scored a career-high 34 points as a junior against Male and grabbed a career-best 23 rebounds as a sophomore against Jeffersontown.
"Mac is a better person than a player, and that's not to take anything away from his playing ability," said Renner. "He's very coachable, a tremendous role model and is well-respected. He has a tremendous work ethic, is very versatile and runs the floor really well. He has a variety of moves inside and one of his strengths lies in his ability to shoot well out on the floor. He's an unselfish player that could have averaged 25-to-30 points a game but realizes the importance of team basketball."
Wilkinson, who will play for the Kentucky All-Star team this summer, chose Louisville after also considering Xavier, UNC Charlotte and Georgia Tech.
Wilkinson is the fourth high school product to sign with the Cardinals this year including 6-8 Ellis Myles of Centennial High School in Compton, Ca., 6-7 Simeon Naydenov of the Berkshire School in Miami, Fla., and 6-7 Luke Whitehead of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.
