At 6-11 and 260 pounds, Wesley Wilson had all the tools to be an NBA players. Today, he is forgotten in the order of the great Georgetown centers of the past 50 years.

A star center in Vallejo, California, Wilson was considered among the top high school centers in the nation in 1998, but poor grades steered him out of the recruiting cycle altogether. He was set to go to a prep program at Winchendon (MA), but, as featured in the book "Sole Influence", he was steered to Maine Central Institute because of its ties with Nike.

"Nike to me is the better shoe," Wilson said in the book. "Not because colleges give them to you but because I just wear it, maybe because Michael Jordan wears it...So you go to the school that wears your type of shoe".

According to the book, Wilson needed to pass a series of core courses to be eligible for Georgetown in 1999. Instead of going to summer school to complete the work, Wilson went on an all-star trip with Nike to Europe and thus arrived at Georgetown ineligible for the 1999-2000 season.

Losing an year of college reduced Wilson to a backup to Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje in 2000-01, averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. As a junior, Wilson enjoyed his best season, a 12.6 point, 6.2 rebound effort that was led by a 26 point, seven rebound effort versus Notre Dame.

Hopes were high for Wilson in his senior year but they never came to pass. He started every game but Wilson was inconsistent and distracted much of the season, and averaged just six points a game midway in the season. In February 2003, following back pain against Syracuse, Wilson requested a leave of absence from the team and never returned.

"Wesley has a problem that relates to more than his back," coach Craig Esherick told The HOYA. "He has not been kicked off the team."

Wilson stayed in school to complete his degree, but soon left the USA for an extended run in the pro leagues worldwide, including Germany, Turkey, South Korea, China, and Venezuela.

"And although his grades have never been much, Wesley Wilson isn't dumb," wrote Wetzel. "He knows exactly what multinational shoe companies, smarmy AAU coaches, prep schools, and college coaches wanted from him...just play ball."