Indiana University Athletics
Indiana's Energy Source - Roderick Wilmont
7/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 26, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's Roderick Wilmont tips off his senior season as a member of the Big Ten Foreign Tour Team on its four-game stint in Australia on Aug. 8-18. Although the tour marks Wilmont's international basketball debut, not to mention his first trip to the Land Down Under, the 6-4 guard is poised to return to Bloomington and help the Hoosiers to some familiar territory this winter.
"It's going to be an experience playing internationally, and it is always an honor to represent Indiana," Wilmont said. "Coach (Kelvin) Sampson relies a lot on his upperclassmen. He always tells us `it comes down to how far you want to take the team.' It gives you confidence knowing that he has the confidence in you."
After redshirting his freshman season of 2002-03, Wilmont has grown increasingly comfortable as Indiana's spark off the bench. The Miramar, Fla., native was among the Big Ten's top sixth men last season, posting 10 double-digit scoring efforts off the bench. The 10 double-digit outings as a reserve were the most by a Hoosier since Kirk Haston (1998-99) and Greg Graham (1991-92) accomplished the feat. Wilmont tallied a career-high 23 points (5-of-10 from three-point range) against Northwestern on Feb. 1, and he scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half of a regular season finale victory at Michigan. Wilmont finished the year averaging nine points and four rebounds per game.
"Every year, I feel that I have gotten better. Last year was huge, the best I have had since I have been here," Wilmont said. "I just try to come in and play with energy. The team feeds off of it, and that is going to be a big part of this season, doing whatever Coach Sampson needs me to do."
Sampson will look to seniors like Wilmont and Earl Calloway and junior All-American candidate D.J. White to set the tone with their productive summers. In addition to Wilmont's Big Ten Foreign Tour, Calloway was a counselor at the adidas Superstar Camp in Suwanee, Ga., and White and A.J. Ratliff were counselors at the All-American Camp in Indianapolis, and White is set to make a return trip to Michael Jordan's Flight School in Santa Barbara, Calif.
"I learned a lot about leadership from guys like Dane Fife, Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby," Wilmont said. "Now, it is my turn to show the younger guys that this is a whole new ballgame, show them how things are done."
Wilmont's effort has already sent a message.
"I've been in the gym every day, working on my ball-handling, make sure that my shot is on, doing a lot of the attention to detail things, watching film and breaking down opponents," Wilmont said. "All of this hard work will pay off."
