2025-26 IU basketball player profile: Lamar Wilkerson
- Alex Bozich
- 2h ago
With the start of college basketball season approaching, we’ve transitioned from our look at other Big Ten programs to our player-by-player previews of the 2025-26 IU basketball roster.
Today, our player profiles continue with senior Lamar Wilkerson.
Previously: Andrej Acimovic, Trent Sisley, Aleksa Ristic, Josh Harris, Jasai Miles, Nick Dorn, Jason Drake
Lamar Wilkerson was one of the most coveted guards available in the transfer portal last spring.
A quick examination of Wilkerson’s career over the last four seasons – one at Three Rivers College and three at Sam Houston – makes it easy to understand why.
An unheralded recruit out of Ashdown, Arkansas, the 6-foot-6 Wilkerson began his career at Three Rivers College, a junior college in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
In 27 games, Wilkerson averaged 16.7 points and shot 40.9 percent on 3s, earning him NJCAA All-America honorable mention honors.
From there, Wilkerson moved up to Division I at Sam Houston. While he wasn’t an instant star, he was productive right away. In 32 games off the bench, Wilkerson averaged 7.4 points and shot 41-for-110 on 3s, good for 37.3 percent.
As a junior, Wilkerson took a major leap and blossomed into one of the best mid-major guards in the country. He started 31 games for the Bearkats and averaged 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and a steal in 29.7 minutes per game, earning him All-Conference USA first team honors. Wilkerson shot 52-of-150 on 3s.
Last season, easily his best, Wilkerson continued his improvement and was one of just 19 players nationally to average 20 or more points per game.
In 32 games, Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points, four rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.9 minutes per game. He shot 109-for-245 on 3s, a sizzling 44.5 percent. Wilkerson was one of only three players in Division I last season to make at least 100 3-pointers while shooting 44 percent from distance. His 109 made 3-pointers ranked 13th nationally.
When Wilkerson entered the portal last spring, he became a priority for a long list of schools, including Indiana and Kentucky.
Ultimately, the Hoosiers won out for his commitment, despite Kentucky getting his final visit before he made a decision.
“It was a pleasure to be recruited by Kentucky, but I didn’t want to go to Kentucky and just be another guy, you know, that has already been to Kentucky,” Wilkerson told Field of 68 after announcing his decision. “Hoosiers basketball, is a, it’s a big time name. And they haven’t been where they wanted to be.
“And, I trust coach (Darian) DeVries, and what he’s bringing in, and the type of coach he is, and how he’s going to put us in position to win. And we could do this together, man, it’s just, it’s just gonna make my story better, his story better, and then Hoosier basketball will be back.”
Wilkerson’s road to assisting the Hoosiers back to prominence tips off early next month in Assembly Hall, where he’ll be expected to be a go-to scoring option.
In an early August trip to Puerto Rico for three exhibition games, Wilkerson provided a first glimpse of what he’ll bring to Bloomington.
He led IU in scoring on the trip with 15.7 points per game and also added 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game.
His signature moment of the trip was his second-half performance against Mega Superbet on August 9. After scoring just five points in the first half, he finished with a team-high 18 points and spearheaded a 70-19 run that led to a 93-71 victory.
“He can just change a game in two or three possessions,” DeVries said of Wilkerson. “He can go 0-for-4 to 4-for-8, 6-for-10, in a hurry.”
In an IU offense that is expected to be up-tempo with a lot of 3-point attempts, Wilkerson will be a focal point. He moves well without the ball and uses his size well to shoot over smaller defenders. His release is efficient and he doesn’t need much room to get his shot off.
With Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries, the Hoosiers should have one of the best shooting duos not just in the Big Ten but in the country.
Bottom line: Wilkerson will start and be heavily featured in the IU offense. He knows how to use screens to get open, but can also create offense off the dribble. His midrange game and floater are strengths of his offensive repertoire and when he gets hot, he can change a game quickly with the 3-point shot.
Quotable: “Small town dude, you know, I had a different chip on my shoulder. Nothing was ever handed to me from out of high school. I went JUCO, out of JUCO I went D1 and now we’re here. So I’ve never had anything handed to me. And early in my life, my parents, my mom, my sisters, my siblings, they all showed me what hard work and dedication was. So it stuck with me. And, you know, you only get in what you put out.” – Wilkerson to Field of 68 after announcing his commitment to Indiana.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
See More: Commentary, 2025-26 season preview, Lamar Wilkerson