From Parks to Primetime

Tarleton’s Limar Wilson overcame childhood struggles

to see his basketball career soar

Tarleton's Limar Wilson used basketball to escape from his family troubles. "Basketball was my drug," the communications major said. Photos by Nathan Bural

By Nathan Bural, Texan News Service

With time winding down and the Tarleton Texans trailing by two to West Texas A&M, Limar Wilson puts up a 3-point shot from the top of the key….

Despite a not-so-picture-perfect childhood, Limar Wilson’s basketball game has gone from the parks of Orlando, Fla., through the Division 1 road of Minnesota, to find success in the Lone Star Conference at Tarleton State University.

After graduating from Orlando’s Lyman High School in 2003, Wilson found himself headed to play in Norfolk, Neb., at Northeast Community College (NCC) for two seasons.

Before his junior year, Wilson signed on to play for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota. However, after one short season of Division 1 basketball was in the books, Wilson found himself looking for a new start.

He got that opportunity at Tarleton, where Wilson is currently a communications major with a 2.6 GPA.

From the very start of his basketball career, Wilson found himself using basketball as a way to escape the troubles of his childhood.

With no father figure at home, Wilson’s mother, Sylvia Rodriguez, raised five children as a single parent.

“Growing up was kind of hard,” Wilson recalled. “She was working everyday, and I’d see her come home stressing and it bothered me a lot. I was frustrated all of the time, seeing her struggling. It was also hard growing up with five of us, there was always fighting.

“It was real tough and the money wasn’t right,” Wilson continued. “I think that’s what made me want to play basketball and get money for my family. I would go pick up a basketball and I go outside and dribble or I’d go to the park or the hotel. Basketball was my answer for everything.”

Shooting star

While Wilson may have looked to basketball for the answer, it didn’t even become an option for the majority of his high school career. Limar didn’t suit up for the school until his senior year because of his struggling grades.

“I was in (high) school and I was playing around, and finally I was like, I want to play basketball,” said Wilson. “The coaches and everybody knew I had talent, so I stayed in the after school programs and did a lot of extra work, and I came out (for the team) my last year.”

It only took one season for Wilson to prove himself. He took the team farther than it had been in 75 years.

That summer, Wilson attended the Five-Star Basketball camp in Pennsylvania, where he was honored with the Best Playmaker Award, as well as being the Free Throw Champion and carrying his squad to the championship.

The Five-Star program has been supplying college recruiters with potential talent since 1966. Wilson was no exception.

“When I was at Five-Star I had a couple of schools writing me, but they weren’t real big and I had decided to go JUCO (junior college) anyways,” he said. “I could’ve went to other schools but I didn’t really want to because I wanted to get away from home.”

Wilson attended NCC for two-and-a-half years. He played two seasons but attended classes a semester early.

After dominating the junior college circuit for two years, the point guard had several possible suitors, but quickly decided on Minnesota.

“I had almost every school in the country looking at me, except for like North Carolina because they can’t take JUCO transfers,” Wilson said. “I just didn’t take all of my visits, and I should’ve. I was still young and when I went to Minnesota, it was my first visit, and I was so excited, I said I’m going to sign.”

Just five games into the season, Minnesota made a decision that would, ultimately, affect Wilson’s well-being.

“When I first got to Minnesota, my coach got fired after the first five games of the season, and it went downhill from there,” Wilson said. “My coach recruited me and the new coach didn’t. When my coach left, everything turned around and did a complete 360. It was just the different coaching style and he wanted me to do different things and I felt that it was taking away my ability.”

With the new coach now under contract, he decided a change of scenery was in order, despite starting 15 of 26 games for the Golden Gophers.

Due to his extra semester spent at NCC, he only had one semester of playing eligibility left and no Division 1 school could sign the 6-foot point guard.

With D-1 schools out of the picture, Tarleton head coach, Lonn Reisman wasted no time impressing Wilson.

“He’s real honest, and he’s determined to win and I can see it,” Wilson said of the coach. “I can see it in his eyes, he wants to win. That’s really what attracted me to here, he just loves the game.”

Since coming to Tarleton, Wilson has averaged 6.3 points per game. He also has hit 44 percent of his shots and 24 percent of his three point attempts.

A stable home at Tarleton

…and Wilson connects on the 3-pointer to give the Texans a lead in the final seconds of overtime and to remain unbeaten in conference play.

“I was thinking, I just want the ball,” Wilson said of his key shot in January. “Coach believed in me and he wanted me to have the ball, too, at the end. Everybody cleared out and I was thinking in my mind, I know I’m going to hit and if he backs up off me then I’m going to shoot the three. I shot it and it just felt good.”

Wilson has also maintained a solid relationship with his teammates, especially the other Division 1 transfers, Avery Patterson and former NCC teammate Jefrey Henfield.

“I got a good relationship with everybody,” said Wilson. “We laugh a lot and play a lot and we play video games. Usually, every team I’ve been on somebody has problems with somebody else, but we all seem to get along. Me, Jefrey, Avery and Terrence (Gamble) all share an apartment so that has been good, too.”

Wilson will finish out his college education either this summer or next fall. After receiving his diploma, Wilson plans to search for an agent and take his game to the next level, whether it is overseas or in the NBA.

“I could’ve chosen other routes, but I hung out with a lot of people and I knew I didn’t want to go those other routes,” Wilson said. “Basketball was my drug. It’s all I knew.”

The Texan News Service is a project of Tarleton State University’s journalism program.