Prospect Spotlight: V.J. Wilmington (2018)
2018 Davenport North point guard V.J. Wilmington had a great June playing with his high school team, making a name for himself with strong play on both ends of the floor. That success has carried over into the final grassroots periods of the summer with Quad City Elite, after spending earlier portions with Wisconsin-based Playground Elite.
“Me and my parents had a tough decision in moving over to QC Elite, but I wasn’t really getting as much playing time as I wanted with Playground,” Wilmington said. “And all of the players on QC Elite are from around the area and they know me, so between more playing time and (playing with) kids I’m more comfortable with, it was the right fit. And hopefully it leads to more exposure.”
The 6-0 lead guard recently received his first piece of interest mail, from Division II Sioux Falls, who invited him to their elite camp.
“It’s the first interest letter I’ve gotten, and I feel like it’s a new start now. I’m just going to keep working and hopefully there’s more to come,” he said.
And working he is. After noting he wants to work on improving his quickness and his jumper, he laid out what a typical day has looked like this summer.
“Me and my dad get shots up after lifting in the morning,” Wilmington said. “Then open gym comes and we’ll shoot either before or after, and after that we get over to the Y and get more shots up. I’d say we get up about 200 shots during each session, so we’re getting at least 600 shots up each day.”
With the heavy work Wilmington is putting in this summer, he stands a great chance to improve on his 38.2 FG% from last year, when he led the Wildcats in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Improved efficiency is something that should help open up opportunities for both himself and his teammates.
“I’m aggressive. I like getting my teammates involved and putting them in spots where they can score,” Wilmington said. “I had more turnovers than I wanted last year, so one of my individual goals is to get my teammates more involved. I didn’t have many assists last season, so I want to get them involved and that should also help me score easier.”
With the addition of Max Taylor to the North roster, and the improvement of Atticus Taylor on the interior, Wilmington has high hopes for his team in the winter.
“Our goal is to finish 1st or 2nd in the MAC next year, and possibly get to state.”