Former Lincoln Christian Star Clay Wilson Preparing For Breakout Season At Princeton

Former Lincoln Christian basketball star Clay Wilson's first season of college basketball was hampered by a separated shoulder. His summer preparing for this sophomore year has been touched by a mouthful of pain.

"Horrible," he said when asked to describe his battle with his wisdom teeth. "I got dry sockets. I've been on a lot of medicine. It's horrible."

Pulsating tooth pain is about the only thing that was able to slow down the 6-foot-3 sharp shooter. He's been spending nearly all of this time in the gym this summer trying to get ready for a run at a bigger role next season with the Tigers.

So far, the Ivy League suits him.

"When you go on (recruiting) trips, you get to play with the team," he said. "When I went to Princeton I really enjoyed playing with the guys there. It wasn't just 1-on-1 stuff. It was more team – passing, and moving and cutting.

"That's what I was looking for."

Wilson starred with the Bulldogs in his career, averaging over 27 points, six assists and six rebounds per game as a senior. His shoulder issues limited him to just 11 games in his first season with the Tigers. He's working hard to add to that total this coming fall.

"I feel like I played as hard as I could and the coaches saw that," said Wilson. "They saw the time and effort I put into practice and when I got into the games."

The injury was a bit-time setback for Wilson. He said it tested him mentally.

"You go to practice every day still, four hours a day sometimes, and you're just watching your team lift, wishing you could be out there," he said. "It's tough mentally but I think it helped me in the long run being able to see what they go through and what I go through."

Wilson credits his time in high school to his success. The foundation that he learned from his teachers and coaches really stuck with him.

"Lincoln is just a great place in general," he said. "The academics, the people and basketball as well. Everything about it helped me a lot."

Wilson says he got his weight up over 180-pounds during the season but says he's around 172-pounds now. He wants to be ready for a position battle when school starts up again.

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