Jan 26, 2020 9 min read

It is no coincidence that the basketball fortunes at Washington High School and Washington & Jefferson College reached championship levels in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the presence of Terrance Wilkins.

The reasons are many: his calming influence as a leader was respected by his teammates, and his play, as a rugged rebounder, capable scorer and consistent hard worker, paid off in many ways.

“Terry was definitely one of our leaders at W&J,” said Matt Johnson, Wilkins’ teammate at the college. “It was more so about him being who he is, and that special local connection he has with the Washington community.

“For me, that was something special with Terry and for Terry. He stood out because he had a great relationship with Washington. Because of what he had done at Washington High School, everyone was supportive of him and that really helped him in his transition to W&J.

“He was unique,” he said. “Our team as a whole knew what the responsibilities were and he knew his as a big man, rebounder, the enforcer. And he had the ability to make that big shot exactly when we needed it.”

Wilkins (6-5 ½) admits he didn’t always possess all of those skills or characteristics.

He honed the basketball skills through the Wash High system under head coach Ron Faust, who wanted Wilkins to be more aggressive, tougher on the boards so he and the team could improve and develop into a championship caliber squad.

To do that, Faust encouraged Wilkins to join the football program. There, Faust thought, Wilkins would gain toughness and have to be aggressive to find success.

The rangy Wilkins did become a Prexies’ football player, joining the team in his senior season of 1989.

Wash High would win nine consecutive games, clinch the conference championship before being upset in the regular-season finale and losing to Freeport in the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Wilkins was a contributor, starting at outside linebacker.

“Without a doubt, watching Terry play (basketball) his senior year, his physical presence on the court was enhanced because he played football for us,” said Guy Montecalvo, who coached Wilkins in football at Wash High.

“Initially, playing defense for us at outside linebacker, he didn’t use his physical tools the way he was capable. After three or four games, he had some big collisions and he realized he could really sting someone, and it wasn’t going to hurt.”

Wilkins’ football experiment just didn’t aid his cause as a basketball player.

He became an important member of a talented and good football team. He grew emotionally and found inner strength.

“He had a really fine year for us,” Montecalvo said. “He became a student of the game. He was a studious kid, serious and mature. If he had played football four years, with his physical size and tools, he could have been a Division I football player.”

Wilkins served as Wash High’s backup quarterback – he possessed a strong throwing arm .

Montecalvo said he could envision Wilkins as an outside linebacker or tight end in college and compared him with Chad Hagan, whom Montecalvo coached at Canon-McMillan.

Hagan was a basketball standout and was recruited to Ohio State to play football.

“Football offered (Chad) great opportunity with his measurables and kinesthetics,” Montecalvo said. “Terry had the same. Terry had the emotional maturity. He was a kid who exuded integrity. I loved coaching him.

“He was an excellent student as well and it enabled him to learn and pickup things quickly.”

Win One for the PrexiesWilkins’ embarked on his senior basketball season better equipped to help Wash High return to the top of the WPIAL’s AA classification. The Prexies won three straight WPIAL crowns from 1984-86 and two PIAA titles (1984 and 1986).

Wilkins said the three years of not winning the championship made it a focal point in the 1989-1990 season. The Prexies returned plenty of talent and benefitted from the closing of Immaculate Conception High School as three players from the Comets joined the program.

“First of all, our coaches prepared us and me individually through their expertise and work ethic,” Wilkins said. “Coach (Ron) Faust preached mental toughness and doing your job. Coach Montecalvo stressed the hard work, attention to detail and being accountable in every instance. They led the way.

“We had a legacy at Wash High to live up to. We all knew that. It wasn’t pressurized. It was a competitive thing. The guys before us blazed a path. We wanted to travel that path.

“We had a great group. We had history to live up to. A standard had been set. We could not exceed it, but we wanted to meet it in some way.”

That is exactly what the Prexies did.

Wash High won its section and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, where it defeated Brentwood. The Prexies then captured their fourth WPIAL crown in seven years by downing New Brighton in the WPIAL championship game.

“Terry was extremely important for us, Faust said. “He did a lot of little things. He was an outstanding rebounder and adequate scorer, a great leader.

“He had great skills. Football toughened him up. He did a stellar job as a result. He’s one of the guys we point to all the time. He’s to be admired. He’s one of the reasons we ask our kids to work hard every day to see if they can turn out like Terry Wilkins.”

The 1989-1900 Prexies advanced to the PIAA semifinals before losing to Girard. It was a bitter defeat as the game was played at Edinboro – in Girard’s backyard.

Wilkins offers no excuses.

“They were better than we were that night,” he said. “Coach Faust wouldn’t let us use anything as an excuse. It was crushing. We believed we could have won that state title. Girard was just a lot better in that game than we were.”

From Prexie to President

Wilkins said he selected W&J because of its academic reputation and the opportunities it afforded him.

He played for head coach John Unice his first three seasons and then the late Tom Reiter for his senior season.

Wilkins flourished as a President.

He was the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player in 1992 and 1993. He was a three-time All-PAC, first-team selection.

Wilkins ranks eighth all-time on the school’s scoring list with 1,410 points. He is one of 23 men’s basketball players in W&J’s history to reach 1,000 points.

He ranked in the top 10 in the country in rebounding one season.

While at W&J, Wilkins was part of three PAC championships and helped the team advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament in 1994.

The 1993-94 team went 22-3 overall, 8-0 in the PAC, and advanced to the Elite 8.

The 22 wins are a single-season school record, and the team posted the best winning percentage in school history (.880). W&J also posted a program-best 15 consecutive victories and three NCAA Tournament wins, including a thrilling 73-71 decision over Otterbein in which Wilkins made the winning shot. W&J’s only losses that season came against Princeton, Point Park and Wittenberg – the only Division III team to defeat the Presidents.

“I had great teammates throughout my career at W&J,” Wilkins said. “We had great coaching in Coach Unice and then Coach Reiter and his assistant Matt Painter. Those guys came in for my senior season and made an impression right away. We knew how good of coaches they were. It was evident. They charted the course and we followed it. They had credibility.

“Coach (John) Luckhardt (athletic director at the time) allowed us to meet with prospective coaches. Just talking with(Reiter and Painter) we all knew they were special. The journey was so much fun.”

Teammates and coaches leaned on Wilkins throughout that 1993-94 season. He delivered in so many ways.

“Terry was great from day one,” said Painter, who is the head coach at Purdue University. “He just wanted to win. He embraced Coach Reiter from Day 1 and wanted to be coached. The great ones always want to be coached.

“Terry was a good all-around player. He is a selfless person, so it was easy for him to be a great teammate. He was a great rebounder and passer and with size and skill, could hurt you in many ways. He could score on the block and play away from the rim equally well.”

Painter was impressed with his personality

“Everybody liked him,” he said. “He had the respect from all because he was a straight shooter and competed to win.

“Terry was the best player in our league. It was a joke he was not the MVP of our league. He led us to a perfect conference record and an eyelash away from the final four. It was a privilege to coach him and I know Tom Reiter felt the same way. When your best player is unselfish, talented and plays to win, it makes coaching fun.”

Wilkins is a member of the W&J athletic Hall of Fame. He served as Reiter’s assistant for a handful of years and was an assistant coach for the University of Richmond women’s basketball team.

Said Johnson: “The climb that (1993-94) season was emotional. I will never forget needing a basket to win the post-season game against Otterbein. We needed one last basket. The ball went into Terry. He turned around, took the shot and it went in. Everybody went crazy. That was Terry.”

Perhaps more than performance, it’s Wilkins’ good nature that has made him a favorite of those around him.

“It is easy to like someone like Terry Wilkins,” Painter said. “Tom Reiter once said that Terry did not have a wall between player and coach. He just wanted what was best for everyone. He is that way as a person too. His heart has always been in the right spot.”