Wilson Washington

Wilson Washington Jr. (born August 3, 1955) is an American former basketball player and a former assistant coach at Norfolk State University. Washington was an All-American player at Old Dominion University and played for two seasons in the National Basketball Association.

College career From Norfolk, Virginia's Booker T. Washington High School, Washington first went to Maryland to play for coach Lefty Driesell. However, he left the school after only one game. He transferred to Division II Old Dominion, where he and the team found great success. As a sophomore in 1974–75, Washington averaged 13.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game and was named a third team All-American. The Monarchs went 25–6 and defeated New Orleans 76–75 to win the 1975 NCAA Division II national championship. Washington was named the tournament MVP.

As a junior, Washington averaged 17.9 points and 13.5 rebounds and led the Monarchs to a 19–12 record in a season where the Monarchs played many Division I teams in anticipation of moving up a level the next year. ODU again made the Division II Final Four, this time losing to Puget Sound in the national semifinals. Washington was named a first team all-American at the close of the season. As a senior, Washington led the Monarchs to a respectable 25–4 record in their first Division I season. He averaged 18 points and 11.4 rebounds and was named ODU's first Division I All-American, earning AP honorable mention honors in 1977.

Professional career After the close of his college career, Washington was selected in the second round (25th pick overall) of the 1977 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played sparingly for the Sixers, averaging 1.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in just 2.7 minutes per game. After 14 games, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he enjoyed a larger role off the bench. He returned to the Nets for the 1978–79 season, averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Following his time in the NBA, Washington played in Italy and the Netherlands.

Coaching career After several years in business, Washington joined the coaching staff at Norfolk State as an assistant coach for the 2012–13 season. In his first season with the Spartans, they went 26–10 won their first NCAA tournament game against Missouri in an upset.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season Year Team GP GS MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG