Published Jan. 23, 2010
By Ben Reynolds, Tri-City Herald staff writer
PASCO — Anyone that knows Mark Wilson won’t say a word about him without quickly mentioning his work ethic.
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| Mark Wilson (12) comes from a small school — Liberty Christian in Richland — but he has made a big difference at CBC. Photo by Richard Dickin of the Tri-City Herald |
Wilson takes pride in his work ethic because of his constant drive to succeed. To put it simply, he wants to be the best at work, in the classroom and especially on the basketball court.
He also trusts all of his hard work. It’s that trust that landed him a starting job on the Columbia Basin College men’s basketball team.
Prior to committing to play for the Hawks, Wilson — a former Liberty Christian standout — had never seen an NWAACC basketball game.
But again, he trusted his work ethic and believed he could play at the college level.
Immediately, he has shown that he belongs on the court. His slashing style of drives, accompanied with a solid long-range jump shot provides him the versatility to score from just about any spot on the court and has created matchup problems for opponents.
He earned a starting spot during the summer and fall and is the Hawks’ second leading scorer at more than 13 points per game.
Whether Wilson believed he would achieve instant success, that’s a hard question to answer for the soft-spoken 6-foot-3 guard.
But his early success has come as no surprise to others.
“Absolutely not,” said Terry Watson, his coach for three seasons at Liberty Christian. “He is the hardest working kid I have ever coached.”
It goes back to that work ethic. When Wilson committed last spring to play at CBC, he had his reservations as did CBC coach Lane Schumacher about what he could do.
Wilson was one of the top scorers in the state as a senior at Liberty Christian, averaging more than 23 points per game, including a season-high 39 against DeSales.
But for as good as those numbers were, it was against B-level competition where he was easily the best player on the court nearly every night.
Schumacher liked what he saw, but still wasn’t convinced, and knew he was taking a little bit of a risk signing Wilson.
“You always have your concerns,” Schumacher said. “A kid comes from a small school and you wonder if it’s going to be a total shock for them at the next level.”
But that that sometimes rocky transition from a small high school to the college level has been a road without too many potholes.
Wilson admits it has taken him a while to get use to the faster-paced game and has had to make a few adjustments — mainly speeding up the release of his jump shot. But after 16 games, things have started to slow down and Wilson says he has found his comfort zone.
“After about a month, I started to get a lot more confidence,” Wilson said. “I just try to go out and play.”
As Wilson has started to find his game, so have the rest of his teammates.
With only one sophomore on the roster, the Hawks appear to have righted the ship after a 3-11 start.
CBC (5-11, 2-2) has won two straight East Region games, heading into a key game today against Yakima Valley (8-8, 2-2).
The Hawks are coming off an impressive 84-63 road win over Wenatchee in which they shot 10-of-17 from behind the 3-point line in the first half.
“I think things are starting to come together,” Wilson said. “We started playing good defense, and I think that’s what we need to keep doing.”
In other words, Wilson and Hawks are working a little harder.
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