By Dick Patrick
GoMason.com Staff Writer
Even in his redshirt season of 2016-17,
AJ Wilson was making spectacular plays that had teammates and coaches shaking their heads in amazement.
There was a tip dunk so stunning that it stopped practice. As a gold teammate took a shot during a scrimmage, Wilson crashed the boards from the left corner, appearing to take flight. Grabbing the miss well above the rim with two hands, he executed a windmill dunk while seemingly parallel to the floor. It was a vicious and stunning move.
Once the rim stopped rattling and team members finished high fiving, coach
Dave Paulsen had the good timing to end practice then and there, a few minutes earlier than planned, realizing anything that followed would be anticlimactic.
Three years later, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound Wilson has cracked the starting line-up as a junior and is regularly making plays that energize teammates and spectators as the Patriots (9-1) head into Saturday's home game against American.
"AJ's a great player, one of those you'd rather play with than against," said sophomore
Jordan Miller after scoring 19 points Tuesday in a 67-60 home win against Jacksonville State. "He brings energy, leadership, a bit of everything. He's a complete player. I love playing with him."
Wilson is averaging 12.3 points, a team-high 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. He's fourth nationally with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game and sixth nationally in blocked shots.
Wilson was named the MVP of the recent Cayman Islands Classic as the Patriots beat ODU, Nebraska and New Mexico for the title with Wilson averaging 12.7p, 12.3r and 4.0b.
"AJ gave us great energy," Paulsen said. "He defended, rebounded, blocked shots and made free throws at a higher rate. But he didn't force anything. That's what I like. He continued to play within himself and showed a lot of maturity."
Wilson has a flair for the spectacular. In the second half against Jacksonville State, he blocked a 15-foot jumper, corralled the rebound and fed
Xavier Johnson for a fast break layup. There were also tip dunks, a two-handed jam in traffic and five other blocks that amped teammates and the EagleBank Arena fans.
"I like to play defense," says Wilson, who is fifth on the Mason career block list (112) and had eight blocks in 22 minutes against Cal Northridge as a redshirt-freshman. "There's so much energy if you stop your man from scoring or get a block or rebound."
Wilson grew up in Laurel, Md., a huge fan of LeBron James. "One thing that stuck out to me was his chase-down blocks," Wilson said. "When I was playing pick-up or AAU when I was younger, I would try my best to get chase-down blocks and things like that. It became part of my game naturally."
Wilson showed a preview of this season's breakout with his improvement in last summer's Kenner League at Georgetown, being named to the all-league team.
"I'm learning the game rather than just playing," Wilson said. "I feel like my basketball IQ has grown, watching film more with coaches and seeing areas where I can score or help my teammates score or where I should be on defensive rotations.
"I've been in the same program for four years now. Everything is slowing down for me because I know more things now."
The four seasons at Mason under Paulsen contrast with Wilson's nomadic high school career. He played at Bowie as a freshman, DuVal as a sophomore, Montrose Christian as a junior and Elev8 Academy in Delray Beach, Fla, as a senior.
"My parents and I felt like each year I transferred, it was a better opportunity not only for recruitment but a better playing standpoint generally," said Wilson, whose initials stand for Anthony Junior.
Wilson began following Mason 13 years ago during the team's Final Four season. He'd like to help the program to more magic moments.
"He's maturing," Paulsen says. "He's not fully mature yet. He's much more consistent in his approach. He's hitting singles; he's always been able to hit home runs.
"You've got to hit singles every day like getting in for rehab, working on your body, putting in extra time on your shot or post moves, stuff like that. He's putting it together mentally and consistency wise. He's still got room to grow."
