Vanderbilt men’s basketball head coach Jerry Stackhouse announced the hiring of Anthony Wilkins as an assistant coach. A native of Atlanta, Wilkins spent the last five seasons at Georgia Tech – four as an assistant coach before one as the associate head coach.
“We are thrilled to add Anthony Wilkins to our Vanderbilt coaching staff,” Stackhouse said. “He is an experienced teacher, recruiter and mentor who has proven experience at the highest levels of college basketball. My relationship with Anthony dates back to my playing days and I’ve enjoyed watching his growth into an outstanding coach. We are excited to welcome Anthony to our program and believe in his ability to impact in all facets of our program.”
At Georgia Tech, Wilkins made major contributions in player and skill development – aiding in the on-court growth of future NBA players Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2021 ACC Tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
While at Georgia Tech, Wilkins was one of a select group of assistant coaches invited to attend the Collegiate Coaching Consortium at the 2022 Final Four. The National Association of Basketball Coaches and Athletic Director U bring together the group of coaches and a group of Division I athletic directors in a two-day exercise in professional development and identifying top talent.
“Vanderbilt is a proud and accomplished community, whose values and integrity are the gold standard in academics and athletics,” Wilkins said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to support Coach Stackhouse, his leadership and demand of excellence sets an inspiring tone. I’m excited to contribute. Anchor Down.”
Prior to arriving at Georgia Tech, Wilkins spent five seasons on staff at Tulane working under former Vandy associate head coach Ed Conroy as well as Mike Dunleavy Sr. He served as director of basketball operations for one season before four seasons as an assistant coach for the Green Wave.
Wilkins began his collegiate coaching career as the director of player development at his alma mater – Kent State in 2012-13.
At the AAU level, he co-founded and served as associate head coach of Stackhouse Elite AAU travel team in Atlanta in 2011.
As a player, Wilkins played professional basketball for six years in Sweden, Ukraine, Mexico and South Korea. He played in the NBA’s Development League (now G League) for Fort Worth and Tulsa (2005-06) and Bakersfield (2007-08). Wilkins also participated in the Atlanta Hawks Vet Camp in 2005 and played on the organization’s summer league team in 2006.
As a senior at Kent State, Wilkins was co-captain of the 2002-03 team that went 22-9 and advanced to the NIT. He was named the team’s defensive player of the year while scoring 9.9 points per game and hitting 39 percent of his three-point field goals. As a junior in 2001-02, his Kent State team finished 30-6 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Wilkins earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Kent State in 2013.
