Ohio senior guard Travis Wilkins has waited patiently during his two-year stint in Athens to fully show what he is capable of as a basketball player.
The Springfield, Mo. product has seized the chance to earn more minutes by filling in for injured teammates in the midst of his second and final season with Ohio (19-8, 9-5 Mid-American Conference). As a result, he has been a constant variable in the team’s success, often giving the Bobcats a lift in the second half with his range from behind the arc.
Wilkins has steadily built up a quality resume and provided a spark for the Bobcats after the loss of senior forward Ricardo Johnson in January.
Wilkins’ minutes have almost doubled since the onset of MAC play, and he started his first game of his career against Toledo on Feb. 12. Though he has made a name for himself by being a threat from 3-point range, Wilkins has extended his overall game from just knocking down triples. This season, he is third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game, and is fourth on the squad in rebounding with 3.4 per contest.
Wilkins said he tries every game to bring as much energy to the team as possible, whether he is starting or coming off the bench. He attributed his increase in playing time to more confidence, which has proven to be beneficial for him this season.
“I love helping the team as much as I can, whether it be scoring or rebounds or whatever,” Wilkins said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Ohio coach Jim Christian said Wilkins’ contributions to the team go deeper than just the stat sheet, citing the fact that at 6-feet-4-inches, 192 pounds, he is undersized for his position.
“He does more than shoot it for this team,” Christian said. “He is the toughness, heart and soul of this team for a toughness standpoint. ... (He is) the first guy on the floor to dive on the ball, (and) he’s going to do all those little things to give us a chance to win.”
Wilkins turned heads against Miami on Feb. 8, when he scored a career-high 23 points, converting seven of nine attempts from the field and six of eight from three.
Wilkins scored 14 points and made five of six attempts from the field on Saturday against Akron, and he also drilled three triples in the game. He has posted double digits in scoring in three of the past five games.
“I just feel pretty confident and I go into every game thinking my shots are going to go down,” Wilkins said. “The game against Akron, they just happened to be going in.”
Wilkins ranks third in the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage (41.5 percent.) Currently Wilkins has knocked down 39 3-pointers on the season, a statistic that places him 14th in the conference.
“He’s red hot,” said Ohio junior forward Maurice Ndour. “I think this is a great moment to be hot right too because we’re right at the end of the season, so we need guys to step up especially with the team, we have a lot of guys banged up.”
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