Former Kalaheo Standout Named To HPU Coaching Staff

Wednesday - January 27, 2010
By Jack Danilewicz
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Sky Wilson

The month of March in college basketball represents the promised land for every school fortunate to make its respective post-season tournament. For Sky Wilson, March will officially mark his return to college coaching.

The former Kalaheo and Northwest Missouri College standout was recently named an assistant men’s basketball coach at Hawaii Pacific University, which announced its succession plan with veteran head coach Tony Sellitto set to retire at the conclusion of this season.

Beginning on March 6, Wilson will join the staff of Darren Vorderbruegge, who is returning to the head coaching job he held at HPU in 2006 before he was promoted to the position of the school’s director of athletics in 2007. Vorderbruegge was the head coach at Northwest Missouri State for six seasons before his first stint as the Sea Warriors’ coach, and is a 23-year veteran of the coaching ranks. Wilson led Kalaheo to both the Oahu Interscholastic Association Championship and the Hawaii State Championship in 2001 under his uncle, the late Pete Smith, earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors from Hawaii along the way. At Northwest Missouri State, Wilson helped lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. An admissions counselor at HPU, Wilson also currently serves as a color analyst on both radio and television broadcasts of Sea Warrior games alongside play-by-play announcer Brent Curry. Wilson took some time away from his schedule recently to answer some questions from MidWeek.


Who’s had the biggest influence on you in your life? So many people have influenced me I don’t want to list just one person, but from high school to college, obviously coach V. (Vorderbruegge) has given me a lot of opportunities, and this university has given me a lot of opportunities. I study him and how he goes about holding himself up.

What’s the biggest selling point in your favor when trying to entice a potential recruit to consider HPU? It depends on the recruit. To someone from here, you can only sell Hawaii so much. If I’m talking to a Mainland recruit, I definitely touch on the fact that it is 80 degrees here. The No. 1 thing I try to touch on is how unique and special our university is. As a private school, our small classroom sizes are something we pride ourselves on. I want them to come away with a degree. Basketball is a small part of this - and a way to get to bigger and better places.

What’s your earliest B-ball-related memory? I was living in the greater Los Angeles area, and I was playing for a team called the Bulls in second grade. I loved the game, but I just wasn’t that good. I was fast - I had speed and could steal the ball, but I would usually ‘brick’ the layup. I was still smiling and having fun. Obviously, I became a lot better, but I do remember banging those layups off of the backboard.

It’s your first day out recruiting. What state do you begin your search in? It’s always important to look at the state you are in first. We want the best local recruits possible - that’s a given. That is good for the community. I’m constantly reading the sports pages here and looking at local players. I also think there are good players everywhere. I grew up in California, so I know how good the basketball is there, Arizona and Washingon, which is a state people sleep on (recruiting-wise).

What is your least favorite household chore? It’s a toss up between doing the laundry and doing the dishes. When the laundry piles up, I still have a pile! I do not enjoy the laundry, but my wife is so pretty that when she gets mad, I come to it.

What movie could you watch over and over again? I like the HBO flicks. I’ll go with Tuskegee Airmen.It’s a historical picture about black pilots. I can watch is over and over again.


 

What’s currently in your iPod? I’m a big-time hip-hop fan. D.J. Quick is in there right now. I have his new one. I’m a huge fan.

Who are your coaching mentors? I have three - not in any particular order. Coach V. has obviously been a mentor to me. I coached with him as a graduate assistant, and he recruited me to Northwest Missouri State. I really like his background and the way he goes about things. My uncle (the late) Pete (Smith), who I played for at Kalaheo. We’re both low key and similar personality-wise. Coach had a great demeanor. He was so cool and so calm. Being around him made me calm as a player. My dad (former Chicago-area standout Richard Wilson) coached me growing up. He taught me the game.”

You are stuck on the island of Kahoolawe. You have an endless supply of one food. What would it be? I love trail mix. You get your protein, and you get some raisins in there. I can eat it all day long.

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