Lamar Wilkerson is the complete package for Indiana — buckets, vibes and all

When Lamar Wilkerson steps into Cook Hall, the temperature rises. Not from heat, but from energy — vibrant, contagious, relentless energy.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard from Ashdown, Arkansas is more than just a high-level transfer addition for Indiana head coach Darian DeVries. He’s a force, an engine, a culture shock.

Call him what you want, but one thing is clear: Wilkerson is the complete and total package for the Hoosiers.

Offense? Check. Leadership? Check. Vibes? Overflowing. Defense? Improving — and vocal.

In a summer filled with transfer buzz, Wilkerson arrived in Bloomington rated as the No. 34 overall player in the portal. But numbers only tell part of the story.

Indiana didn’t just land a shooter. It landed a shot-maker, a shot-taker and, just as importantly, a shot of adrenaline.

“Offensively, I feel like my accolades speak for themself,” Wilkerson said last week following Indiana’s open practice. “I can shoot the ball, I can space the floor, I bring a lot of gravity. It allows my teammates to do what they do best — get downhill and playmake.”

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He’s not exaggerating.

Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points per game last season at Sam Houston State and torched nets across the country, hitting 109 threes — seventh-most in the nation — at a blistering 44.5% clip. That percentage ranked seventh in Division I.

Simply put: If Wilkerson has daylight, the scoreboard is in danger.

Yet he’s far from a one-dimensional sniper. Wilkerson converted 50% of his two-point attempts and sank 82.5% of his free throws.

He’s a three-level scorer who demands attention the moment he crosses half court — the kind of player whose presence alone opens the floor for everyone else.

In DeVries’ reimagined offense, where spacing and tempo will be paramount, Wilkerson figures to be both a centerpiece and a catalyst.

“He’s one of those guys that can be a game-changer in terms of his ability to really score the basketball,” DeVries said. “I just like all the other things that he’s brought. You can see on film his shot-making, but all the other intangible things he’s brought have been really good for our team.”

Indeed, the intangibles — the energy, the voice, the joy — are what make Wilkerson more than just a transfer. They make him indispensable.

Wilkerson describes himself as an alpha, though he won’t break down what exactly makes him one.

“It’s a little biased coming from me,” he grinned.

But watch him for five minutes in practice or pregame warmups and it’s obvious. Wilkerson is the spark plug — the guy dancing in the layup line, clapping after drills and checking in with teammates.

It’s not performative. It’s just who he is.

“That’s just how I’ve always been. I’ve always been a people person,” Wilkerson said. “I just love the game of basketball. This isn’t work to me, this is like taking a kid to a park. That’s how I feel. I come out here and I’m always energetic. I’m always trying to make everyone laugh.”

That levity isn’t just welcomed in a locker room undergoing a lot of change — it’s needed. With a new coaching staff, new schemes and a roster full of transfers, someone has to set the tone.

Wilkerson, at 23, is embracing that role with pride.

“What do I bring to this team as a 23-year-old? Experience,” Wilkerson said. “I bring a lot of college experience and I bring a lot of energy.”

Even fellow energy-guy Sam Alexis admits that Wilkerson is one of the few people who can match his enthusiasm. His teammates feel it. His coaches feel it.

“I love Lamar,” DeVries said. “Lamar comes with great energy, brings a smile on his face every day. And that type of enthusiasm is contagious… He understands this is his last year. I think he’s approached every day at a very high level.”

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Wilkerson’s offense may be plug-and-play elite, but his defense is a work in progress — one that he’s owning with refreshing honesty.

“I have bad habits. I like to gamble, I like to go for steals,” Wilkerson said. “I feel like sometimes you need that risk on defense, someone that’s going to sloppy things up… I’m getting chewed out about it.”

He smiles as he says it — because he knows he’s evolving.

Wilkerson’s learning to toe the line between chaos and control, between havoc and help-side. And even when he’s not perfect positionally, he’s rarely quiet.

“My defensive energy, I just like to talk,” he said when asked what his strongest defensive trait is.

And talk he does. Communication, a lost art in some corners of modern college hoops, is a Wilkerson specialty.

It’s what turns defensive breakdowns into recoveries and quiet possessions into organized stops. And for a Hoosiers team likely to lean on its veteran voices, Wilkerson’s chatter matters.

This season is it for Wilkerson. The final chapter. The last dance. He knows it, and he’s attacking it with urgency and joy in equal measure.

From JUCO beginnings at Three Rivers College to mid-major stardom at Sam Houston State, his journey has been his own.

Even now on the Big Ten stage, Wilkerson brings the same relentless energy and joy that’s fueled his rise every step of the way.

“Once you come through those doors, you leave everything in the outside world there,” Wilkerson said. “This right here, this should be fun at all times.”

That mindset is exactly why Wilkerson fits in Bloomington. Indiana isn’t just hungry for banners — it’s searching for identity as the program turns the page into a new era inside Assembly Hall. It’s searching for fire. For fun. And in Lamar Wilkerson, it just might have found all three.

Wilkerson isn’t just a scorer, though he scores plenty. He’s not just a leader, though his teammates follow him. And he’s not just an energy guy, though few bring more.

He’s the total package — a shot-making alpha with infectious energy, a loud defender, a confident leader and a joyful presence. That’s Lamar Wilkerson.

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