Anthony Wilson

THE SHOT Helped Propel LSU,  Anthony Wilson into Final Four

Like millions of kids who ever picked up a basketball, a young Anthony Wilson probably dreamed of making a last-second, game winner as he practiced on the school grounds in Plain Dealing. And on March 15, 1986, that dream came true, big-time!

Wilson, a junior guard for the LSU basketball team, grabbed a   rebound and put up an eight-foot shot at the final second of a  game against heavily favored Memphis State in the  second round of the NCAA Playoffs. As the horn sounded to end the game, the ball slipped through the net.  It was THE SHOT of LSU’s magical run to the 1985-86 NCAA  Final Four as Memphis State fell, 83-81.

Wilson, a two-time all-state player at Plain Dealing High, started at guard for the Tigers in that 1985-86 season when LSU  became the lowest seed (11th) ever to reach the NCAA Final Four. His  career at LSU is highlighted by THE SHOT, but he played a  significant role throughout the Tigers’ surprise march to the Final Four. He started each of five playoff games at guard, averaged 13.2  points.  In a nail-biting opening round 94-87 win over Purdue that went to double overtime, Wilson led Tiger scoring with 25 points. He sank seven of eight free throws when Purdue was forced to foul in the last moments of the second overtime.

In a 70-64 Regional Semifinal win over second seed Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Wilson led Tiger rebounding with 10. In a 59-57 Regional Final win over Kentucky, he hit six of nine shots for 12 points, and against Louisville in the Final Four, he made 7 of 15 shots and scored 15 points.  In three of the four games, he played without making a turnover.

Wilson had significant statistics at LSU. As a sophomore, he was part of Coach Dale Brown’s team that won the season championship of the Southeastern Conference. LSU won 50 games in Wilson’s junior and senior seasons.

Following LSU’s NCAA successes of 1985-86, Wilson led the team in scoring in his senior year with 16.6 points a game and earned SEC All-Tournament honors. His 31 points against Georgia is the second-best individual game production for a Tiger in the SEC Tournament. During his final season Wilson helped the Tigers win three NCAA Playoff games (over Georgia Tech, Temple and DePaul) to reach the regional finals, where eventual national champion Indiana stopped their run, 77-76. In his junior and senior seasons, Wilson helped LSU to three wins over Kentucky, then the gold standard of SEC basketball.  His 95 three-point goals in 1986-87 is No. 1 in LSU’s all-time records. He played 1,338 minutes in the 1986-87  season, a total that is No. 2 on the LSU all-time list, and is in the Tigers’ 1,000-point club with 1,089 career points.

A Converse All American in high school, Anthony averaged 25.6 points and 12.4 rebounds a game in his senior season, when he was voted MVP in Class AA after leading Plain Dealing to the state semifinals. His 2,546 career points were second only to Robert Parish among Caddo-Bossier players at the time. He helped Baton Rouge Audubon Ford to the 1982 national 17-under AAU basketball championship.