Wilbert Louis Olinde Jr. (born July 23, 1955) is an American-German retired professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
, winning a
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
in 1975.
Career
Born in
,
Olinde attended Crawford High School, before transferring to
Helix High School
Helix High School, in La Mesa, California, is a charter high school built in 1952. It received its charter in 1998. Part of the Grossmont Union High School District, it serves a mid-level socioeconomic community and has a student body of approxi ...
in
La Mesa, California
La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, located east of Downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of the Hills."
History
La Me ...
, in 1971. Olinde averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds and five
blocks as a senior and led the Highlanders to a Grossmont League title. He was named the 1973 CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year.
Olinde played college basketball at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
(UCLA) from 1973 to 1977.
Playing under coach
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...
, Olinde won the
1975 NCAA Division I tournament with the
Bruins. Olinde saw two minutes of action in the 1975 National Semifinal against Louisville, but did not play in the championship game against Kentucky. A 6’7’’ (2.01 metres) forward, Olinde played a total of 70 games for UCLA during his college career, averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds a game. In 1976 and 1977, he was presented with the ''UCLA Faculty Athletic Representative Award'' for academic achievement and team contribution.
In 1977, Olinde accepted an offer to move to
West-Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
to play professional basketball for
ASC 1846 Göttingen
The ASC 1846 Göttingen is a German basketball club based in Göttingen. ASC and its predecessor societies ''SSV Hellas Göttingen'' and ''SSC Göttingen'' played 16 times in the Federal basketball league (1966–67, 1970–71, 1973–75 and 1976 ...
, coached by his fellow countryman and former UCLA player
Terry Schofield
George Terence Schofield (born June 16, 1948) is an American former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, winning three national championships (1969–1971) under Coach John Wooden. Schofield played profes ...
. With Göttingen, Olinde won the West German national championship three times (1980, 1983, 1984) and the West German Cup competition twice (1984, 1985).
In 1983, he was granted German citizenship. Olinde retired in 1987 due to cancer.
Olinde, who initially planned to come to Germany for one year, stayed in Germany after his playing career. After working in the assurance and finance business, he founded his own company in 2003, offering coaching for individuals and groups. In 2018, the story of Olinde's life was published in a book (''Germany for one season - The true story of Wilbert Olinde Jr.''), written by Christoph Ribbat.
His son
Louis Olinde
Louis Franklin Olinde (born March 19, 1998) is a German professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 205 cm (6 ft 9 in), Olinde plays at both the small forward ...
is a professional basketball player.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olinde, Wilbert
1975 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Germany
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from New Orleans
Forwards (basketball)
UCLA Bruins men's basketball players