Larry Wilson is an American former basketball player. Born in Raceland, Louisiana, he attended

Central Lafourche High School Central Lafourche High School (CLHS) is a public high school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in Mathews, unincorporated Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States,''Engineering News-Record'', Volume 143, Part 1 ... district. It serves ...

in nearby Mathews. Although he originally harbored dreams of playing football, Wilson was instead encouraged to play basketball due to his height. He emerged as a star at Central Lafourche as he averaged 30 points per game during his final two seasons and was named Louisiana's Most Valuable Player during his senior season in 1975. With the constant attendance of coaches from major colleges at his games, Wilson was one of the nation's most sought-after prospects and received an estimated 250 athletic scholarship offers. At the end of his high school career, Wilson initially committed to play for the LSU Tigers. A few weeks later, he changed his mind and decided to play for the Division II

Nicholls Colonels The Nicholls Colonels are the 15 teams representing Nicholls State University, a university in Louisiana, in intercollegiate athletics. The Colonels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Colonels football team competes in the NCAA Division ...

due to his good relationship with head coach Don Landry and a desire to play close to home for his family. With the Colonels, Wilson led the Gulf South Conference in scoring for four consecutive seasons and was named the conference's Player of the Year twice. He ranks first in total points and fourth in total rebounds for the Colonels program. Wilson was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 38th overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft. During a team practice, he slipped on a wet patch on the court and stretched every major ligament in his knee. Wilson was unable to play to his full potential again and retired in 1980 without having played a game professionally. He returned to his hometown of Raceland, where he gained employment with

Bollinger Shipyards Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels. Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 to ...

and coached youth basketball. Wilson was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Larry Date of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players from Louisiana Nicholls Colonels men's basketball players People from Raceland, Louisiana Small forwards Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American people