If you were watching Conference USA basketball over the last couple of years, you already know the name. You’ve seen the highlights. But for the rest of the college basketball world, Lamar Wilkerson Sam Houston State was basically the best-kept secret in the country until he decided to light up the Big Ten.
It’s rare to see a guy go from a "nobody" out of a tiny Arkansas high school to a junior college standout, and then somehow become the first player in Sam Houston history to average over 20 points a game in the Division I era. Honestly, it’s the kind of underdog story that keeps college sports interesting.
He didn't just play for the Bearkats; he redefined what their ceiling looked like.
The Night Everything Changed at Oklahoma
Most people remember Wilkerson’s 2024-25 explosion, but if you want to know who he really is, you have to look back at November 7, 2022. It was his Division I debut. The Bearkats were playing Oklahoma. Sam Houston hadn't beaten a Power Five team in over a decade.
Wilkerson came off the bench. He was just a JUCO transfer from Three Rivers Community College at the time. He played 22 minutes, didn't look scared for a second, and buried 17 points in the second half. He hit a corner three-pointer late in the game to seal a 52-51 upset. That was the moment Huntsville realized they had something special.
He wasn't just a "role player." He was a closer.
Why Lamar Wilkerson Sam Houston State Became a Statistical Freak
We need to talk about the numbers because they’re kind of ridiculous. In the 2024-25 season, Wilkerson was basically a walking bucket. He finished that year averaging 20.5 points per game. Think about that for a second. He was one of only 19 players in the entire nation to hit that 20-point mark.
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But it wasn't just volume shooting. The efficiency was what made coaches lose sleep.
- Three-Point Mastery: He knocked down 109 triples in a single season. That’s a school record.
- The Percentage: He shot 44.5% from deep. To do that while taking nearly eight attempts a game is legendary.
- The Streak: He had 35 consecutive games scoring in double figures.
Basically, if the ball left his hands, people just assumed it was going in. He ended his career at Sam Houston with 1,321 points, which puts him 11th all-time in program history. And he did most of that heavy lifting in just two years as a primary starter.
From Ashdown to Assembly Hall
The road wasn't easy. Wilkerson grew up in Ashdown, Arkansas. He wasn't some five-star recruit with a personal trainer and a Nike circuit invite. He had to go the JUCO route. At Three Rivers, he was an All-American, but even then, high-major coaches weren't exactly knocking down his door.
Sam Houston State took the chance. Coach Chris Mudge handed him the keys, and Wilkerson drove that team to a regular-season CUSA title in 2024.
When he finally entered the transfer portal after his senior year, it was a total feeding frenzy. Kentucky wanted him. Ole Miss wanted him. Auburn wanted him. But he chose Indiana. Why? Because he didn't want to be "just another guy." He wanted to be the guy who helped a blue-blood program find its identity again.
The 44-Point Statement
If anyone doubted whether his mid-major success would translate to the Big Ten, he silenced that pretty quickly. On December 9, 2025, playing for Indiana against Penn State, he went nuclear.
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44 points.
10 three-pointers.
That wasn't just a career high; it was a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record. He broke the IU record for most threes in a single game. According to the nerds at OptaSTATS, he’s the only player in the last 30 years—college or NBA—to drop 40+ points and 10+ threes while playing less than 25 minutes.
It was the most points an IU player had scored against a Big Ten opponent since Mike Woodson back in '79.
What Scouts Are Seeing Now
As we look toward the 2026 NBA Draft, Wilkerson has moved from "intriguing prospect" to "mandatory scouting trip." He’s 6'6" now, 205 pounds, and has the size to play the two or the three.
The knock on mid-major scorers is usually that they can’t create their own shot against elite length. Wilkerson proved that wrong. He uses screens better than almost anyone in the country, but he also has a midrange floater that is absolute pure silk. He doesn't need much space. Give him an inch, and he’s already into his motion.
He’s also surprisingly durable. He started 63 straight games during his final two years at Sam Houston. You can't teach that kind of reliability.
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The Impact Beyond the Court
One thing that doesn't get enough press is what he did after leaving Huntsville. In late 2025, news broke that Wilkerson donated a six-figure sum back to Sam Houston State. For a kid who came from a small town and a JUCO background, that’s a massive gesture. It shows the connection he still feels to the place that gave him his first real D1 shot.
He’s not just a basketball player; he’s become a bridge between the mid-major grind and the bright lights of the Power Five.
What You Can Learn From the Lamar Wilkerson Story
If you're a young athlete or even just a fan of the game, there are a few takeaways here that actually matter.
First, the "path" doesn't have to be linear. You can go from unranked to JUCO to Sam Houston to Indiana record-breaker if you can shoot the lights out and stay in the gym.
Second, efficiency is king. Scoring 20 points is cool, but doing it while shooting 44% from three is what gets you a paycheck.
If you're looking to follow his progress or analyze his impact on the 2026 draft stock, pay attention to his "points per possession" coming off pindown screens. That is where he is most lethal. Also, watch how he handles the physical defensive pressure of Big Ten guards like Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort.
Lamar Wilkerson Sam Houston State was a chapter of growth, but the current chapter at Indiana is proving he was always a high-major talent—he just had to take the long way to prove it.