The Arkansas State University men’s basketball program has secured one of the top junior college coaches in the nation as Carlos Wilson has been hired as an assistant to the Red Wolves’ coaching staff in an announcement made this Tuesday (July 1) by A-State head coach John Brady.
Wilson previously served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Odessa (Texas) College since May 2012. This past 2013-14 season, Wilson helped guide Odessa to a 22-7 overall record as a member of head coach Tra Arnold’s staff after the Wranglers earned a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) berth in the 2012-13 campaign.
“We’re excited to have Carlos Wilson as a part of our coaching staff,” said Brady. “He brings coaching and recruiting experience to our program having run his own program. He has a number of players who have signed to play Division I throughout the country. His contacts will certainly help us on the recruiting front as will his experience as a head coach in that part of the game to the A-State program.
"I’m fortunate to hire a person of his experience and expertise," added Brady, who will begin his seventh year at A-State this 2014-15 season.
At Odessa, Wilson was involved in on-floor coaching along with recruiting, player development, scouting opponents, and serving as the program’s academic liaison. He assisted in developing several athletes who competed in the NCAA Division I ranks such as Daishon Knight (Illinois State), Kevin Mays (Cal State-Bakersfield), Auston Barnes (Bradley) and Josh Gray (LSU) to name a few.
“I’m honored and blessed to work with Coach Brady and becoming a member of the Arkansas State family,” said Wilson. “This position fulfills a dream of mine and I’m excited about contributing to the success that’s on the horizon for the A-State men’s basketball program. This is a terrific opportunity and I’m elated to continue my coaching career at Arkansas State working under a highly-reputable coach like Coach Brady.”
A native of Palestine, Texas, Wilson held an assistant coaching position at Tyler (Texas) Junior College for approximately one year (May 2011-12) as the Apache registered an 18-12 overall record for the 2011-12 season. He not only assisted with on-floor coaching for the Apache under head coach Mike Marquis, but was responsible for scouting the opposition, recruiting, and player development. Wilson played a key role in the development of several NCAA-I players such as Jaron Johnson (Louisiana Tech), Daniel Edozie (Iowa State), Winslo Barry (Incarnate Word), Trevor Berkley (Drake), and Hershey Robinson (Prairie View A&M).
Success has accompanied Wilson throughout his coaching career as evidenced by three 20-win seasons in the junior college ranks, which includes twice at Odessa, and a pair of NJCAA Regional Tournament appearances – one apiece at Odessa and Tyler. He also coached a NJCAA All-America player in Odessa’s Josh Gray.
Prior to Tyler JC, Wilson served as head coach and athletics director at Christian Life Center Academy in Humble, Texas, from 2006-11. In his five seasons, Wilson directed Christian Life Center Academy to an impressive 180-30 record (.871 winning pct.) to go along with a 2008-09 National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) National Championship title. The Cougars registered four consecutive 30-plus seasons during his tenure, which included a 42-8 record in 2006-07 and a NACA Semifinal appearance while the 2008-09 team produced a 35-2 mark with the NACA national title. Wilson, who had 35 players receive a NCAA-I scholarship during his coaching career at Christian Life Center Academy, guided the 2009-10 squad to a 44-6 record and a national number-one prep ranking by the National Post Graduate Athletic Association (NPGAA). Three CLCA alumni are professional basketball players, DeAndre Jordan of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Los Angeles Clippers, Latavious Williams of the NBA Developmental League’s (NBDL) Tulsa 66ers, and NBA Lottery pick Ben McLemore of the Sacramento Kings.
The coaching career for Wilson began on the AAU circuit in the late 1990’s as the head coach and founder of the East Texas Warriors based out of Palestine, Texas. He then located to nationally-recognized Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas, as an assistant coach where he spent two seasons (2004-06) helping with on-floor coaching, player development, and scheduling.
Wilson received an associate of arts degree from Odessa College in 2013 and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in 2014. Wilson was an all-district performer in both basketball and football at Palestine (Texas) High School.
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