Forgotten gem: Wilson starred at Belle Vernon, flourished at Air Force
Former Belle Vernon standout Hayward 无毛视频淛unior无毛视频� Wilson is a forgotten gem from Western Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 rich basketball history.
无毛视频淚 picked up a basketball when I was about five or six years old,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淚 thought I was going to be a football and basketball player. I tried football for awhile, but I found that football wasn无毛视频檛 my cup of tea.无毛视频�
Wilson was a spark-plug on the Rostaver Jr. Leopards in 1964, helping them to become co-champions of Section 3 along with California.
无毛视频淚 had great coaching when I was growing up,无毛视频� Wilson stated. 无毛视频淚 had some good coaches in junior high, it was Don Williams and also George Estok. In high school it was Don Asmonga.无毛视频�
Rostraver Township and Bellmar merged and Belle Vernon Area was created in 1964, but the merger did not become official until two years later, when it was recognized by the state Department of Education.
Hayward was a two-year starter for Belle Vernon hoops. In 1965-66 the Leps went 5-16 overall and 3-9 in Section 5-A. Uniontown was section champs with a 12-0 record. Hayward tallied 111 points that season.
In his senior campaign in 1966-67 BVA posted a record of 15-7 and 9-3 in Section 4-A. Donora captured the section with a record of 11-1. Hayward led the section in scoring with 265 points in 12 games, an average of 22 ppg. Overall he notched 449 points for an average of 20.2 ppg.
无毛视频淲hen I was at Belle Vernon we were in a tough section both years,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淭he first year we were in a section with Uniontown and they were tough, guys like Wilfred Minor, Ray Parson and Willie Bryant, they were real tough. Donora was section champs the following year after Uniontown moved to Section 7. The Dragons were a big rival with guys during this period like Bernie Galiffa, my cousin Randy Wright, Malcom Lomax and Ken Griffey Sr.无毛视频�
Wilson held his own against top-notch competition. He scored 23 and 18 points in two losses to Donora as a senior and scored 10 points against a tough Laurel Highlands team led by Wil Robinson in an 80-64 loss to the Mustangs in 1966-67.
无毛视频淚 had good teammates at Belle Vernon,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淥ne was a real good friend, Ed Miller, he was a good player.无毛视频�
Miller held Wilson in high regard.
无毛视频淲e had a great point guard, Hayward Wilson,无毛视频� Miller opined.
Wilson loved playing for coach Asmonga at Belle Vernon.
无毛视频淐oach Asmonga was my mentor,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淗e took me under his wing and taught me a lot of things, how to be a good teammate, and he always told me to work on my skills. I无毛视频檓 thankful that I came home to visit when he was in the hospital and I got to see him and push him in his wheelchair to therapy. After I left I think he passed about a week later. That broke my heart, but I无毛视频檓 glad I got to see him. He was the best coach that I had.无毛视频�
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Wilson was All-Section 4-A as a senior.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not a guy that keeps up with stats,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淚 really didn无毛视频檛 look at that. I was told what I did. I无毛视频檓 was happy with what I accomplished.无毛视频�
When Wilson graduated from Belle Vernon in 1967 he had some opportunities to play college basketball.
无毛视频淚 had a few letters from schools,无毛视频� Wilson explained. 无毛视频淚 went to Pittsburgh and visited Point Park. I didn无毛视频檛 do well on the SAT test and I went in the Air Force March 10, 1969.
无毛视频淚 played Air Force basketball against some very good competition. All the Air Force bases would play in the MAC Tournament and you would play until the last team was standing. I got to travel, I was in Korea twice, the Philippines, Thailand. I was all over playing basketball.无毛视频�
In the Air Force, Wilson grew to be about 6-foot-2 and his game developed to a high level.
Former Belle Vernon hoops standout Ron Haten, who lived on Carson Street in Pricedale, remembers playing against Wilson when he came home to visit from the Air Force.
无毛视频淲e grew up on the same street,无毛视频� Haten said. 无毛视频淗e was like seven years older than me and he was good friends with my older brother. He was really the one that kind of inspired all the younger guys. We used to go to the games and I was like eight or 10 years old and he was the big star on the basketball team. They didn无毛视频檛 have a whole lot of team success, but he was always the leading scorer.无毛视频�
Haten saw the change in Wilson as a player firsthand.
无毛视频淭he interesting thing about Wilson was after high school he went to the Air Force,无毛视频� Haten recalled. 无毛视频淗e was gone for maybe a year or two and he came back home for the summer and he had filled out and his game was off the chart. He was the best that I played against from this area in the valley.
无毛视频淗is game developed and he grew. He was about 6-2 and he was real strong and he had big hands. He could palm the ball 无毛视频� and he was just so strong and he was overpowering going to the hoop. He could jump over you and hang in the air. I无毛视频檝e never seen anybody that could hang in the air as long as he could. When he came back and I was in high school he was like a man among boys with all of us.无毛视频�
On one of Wilson无毛视频檚 visit无毛视频檚 back home he had another opportunity to play college basketball.
无毛视频淚 came home and coach Asmonga called Lanny Van Eman who was head coach at Arkansas,无毛视频� Wilson recalled. 无毛视频淚 had the opportunity to play at Arkansas, but I was happy in the Air Force. I was in four years and 30 days and I got out. I stayed out two months and decided to go back in and made a career out of it and stayed in a total of 20 years and left the Air Force in 1989.无毛视频�
After the Air Force, Wilson went to work for the Post Office for 13 years. He retired in 2008.
Now 71, Wilson resides in Prosper, Texas with his third wife, Ellanore. They have been married 10 years. Wilson has three adult daughters from his marriages.
Looking back, Wilson is thankful for the role athletics played in his life.
无毛视频溛廾悠� was a big part of my life,无毛视频� Wilson stated. 无毛视频淚t kept me grounded and it taught you how to get along with other people and be disciplined in whatever you do.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.