High School Look Back: Jamil Wilson (Ballard)
If anything’s for certain, it’s that Jamil Wilson had quite the high school basketball career. Wilson, a star guard at Ballard High School since his seventh grade year, worked hard each season and always gave his all, transforming him into not only a great player, but also a great person – which is the best part.
“I really enjoyed my career at Ballard, which began in 7th grade,” Wilson said. “I practiced with the team and learned a lot to playing freshman and JV in 8th grade. I experienced a lot freshman year playing in big tournaments and against big name people such as Devin Booker. Sophomore year getting to state was a great experience for me and the school. Junior year I had a good year and had big games. Getting to state my senior year was good and feel I made many memories for me and my team as well as those that support Ballard.
“I won many awards, All-Tournament teams and MVPs along the way.”
In his final season of Prep Hoops, Wilson played a big role in the Bruins’ success, averaging 13.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. The athlete helped guide his team to a District 28 Tournament championship, Region 7 Tournament championship and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena, but says things could have been better.
“Senior season didn’t go how I wanted, personally, and the injury didn’t help,” stated Wilson. “I still came away with awards such as King of the Bluegrass and Louisville Invitational Tournament All-Tournament Team. As a team, we achieved the goal of winning the 7th Region and getting to state, but didn’t finish the season the way it was supposed to end. My stats dropped this year but I became more of a leader and led my team to wins.”
With his high school playing days behind him, Wilson says he is looking to further his career at the next level.
“I’m not committed to play anywhere yet but plan to – whether it’s this year or next with prep school being an option,” he noted.
As he left a mark on the Ballard boys’ basketball program, the player has a message for those still playing at the prep level:
“For players still playing, just go hard and give it everything you got,” Wilson added. “Time flies and you don’t want to have regrets when it’s over. When your career is over you will miss everything you probably didn’t want to do all the time. Have fun and make memories.”