Wilkerson will continue basketball career at Tuskegee

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Dominique Wilkerson, the Dadeville Tigers’ star point guard from last season, has signed a letter of intent to play for the Tuskegee Golden Tigers next year.

Wilkerson, who was an honorable mention to the Class 3A All-State team, received almost a full scholarship from Tuskegee, a private, four-year university that is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Coach Sabrina Milligan, who is the head volleyball coach at Dadeville and also assists with a number of other sports, has a close relationship with Wilkerson. She said it’s his liveliness on the court that got Tuskegee’s attention.

“Their coach watched Dominique play the last three games of the year, and his energy is what impressed him,” Milligan said. “His energy and passion he shows on the floor sets him apart. There were several other schools that invited him to walk on for a year and then hopefully get a full scholarship if the budget improves. But, Tuskegee showed the most interest in him from the start.”

Snead State and Shorter College (Rome, Ga.) were two other schools that showed a lot of interest in Wilkerson.

As a senior, Wilkerson filled up the stat sheet. He averaged 18.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game in leading the Tigers to a sub-regional appearance against LAMP, where Dadeville lost by one point. The 5-foot-10 Wilkerson said he’s anxious to start on his academics.

“I’m looking forward to getting a good education,” said Wilkerson, who will study nursing. “Hopefully, I can get some playing time, too. I don’t know too much about (Tuskegee’s) offense, but I know they like to run up and down the floor, and I think I’ll fit in good with that style. I just want to work as hard as I can and get my scholarship retained every year.”

Wilkerson will get a chance to play for a highly respected coach in Leon Douglas. Douglas was a two-time SEC Player of the Year at Alabama in 1975 and 1976 and was taken fourth overall in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.

Tuskegee shot 15 times from beyond the arc last season on average, and Wilkerson said improving his jumper is a priority from now until the season begins.

Milligan and DHS principal Carl Stewart both said Wilkerson will need to get stronger to be able to compete at the college level.

“The biggest difference from high school is how physical the game is,” Milligan said. “Even though Dominique is a guard and won’t be down low much, he’s going to have get ready for a different kind of game. We went and watched Tuskegee play, and the referees really let them push each other around on the perimeter.”

Stewart said strengthening his legs will be key for Wilkerson.

“Everybody wants to work on their biceps and triceps, but the lower body is where you have to be strong,” Stewart said. “Being able to take all the contact and getting over the top of picks is a big part of the game, and having a strong lower body helps a lot.

“We’re really proud of Dominique for the way he represents our school and wish him good luck at Tuskegee.”

Wilkerson’s mom, Cecilia Fomby, said she is grateful for her son’s opportunity and she is glad he plays the game like he does.

“I think they were impressed with his never-give-up attitude,” she said. “We’re thankful and really blessed that he gets a chance to go to such a great school.”

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