Forgotten gem: Wilson starred at Belle Vernon, flourished at Air Force
Former Belle Vernon standout Hayward 鈥淛unior鈥� Wilson is a forgotten gem from Western Pennsylvania蘑菇视频 rich basketball history.
鈥淚 picked up a basketball when I was about five or six years old,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚 thought I was going to be a football and basketball player. I tried football for awhile, but I found that football wasn鈥檛 my cup of tea.鈥�
Wilson was a spark-plug on the Rostaver Jr. Leopards in 1964, helping them to become co-champions of Section 3 along with California.
鈥淚 had great coaching when I was growing up,鈥� Wilson stated. 鈥淚 had some good coaches in junior high, it was Don Williams and also George Estok. In high school it was Don Asmonga.鈥�
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.
鈥淲hen I was at Belle Vernon we were in a tough section both years,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 had good teammates at Belle Vernon,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淥ne was a real good friend, Ed Miller, he was a good player.鈥�
Miller held Wilson in high regard.
鈥淲e had a great point guard, Hayward Wilson,鈥� Miller opined.
Wilson loved playing for coach Asmonga at Belle Vernon.
鈥淐oach Asmonga was my mentor,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淗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鈥檓 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鈥檓 glad I got to see him. He was the best coach that I had.鈥�
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Wilson was All-Section 4-A as a senior.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a guy that keeps up with stats,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚 really didn鈥檛 look at that. I was told what I did. I鈥檓 was happy with what I accomplished.鈥�
When Wilson graduated from Belle Vernon in 1967 he had some opportunities to play college basketball.
鈥淚 had a few letters from schools,鈥� Wilson explained. 鈥淚 went to Pittsburgh and visited Point Park. I didn鈥檛 do well on the SAT test and I went in the Air Force March 10, 1969.
鈥淚 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淲e grew up on the same street,鈥� Haten said. 鈥淗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鈥檛 have a whole lot of team success, but he was always the leading scorer.鈥�
Haten saw the change in Wilson as a player firsthand.
鈥淭he interesting thing about Wilson was after high school he went to the Air Force,鈥� Haten recalled. 鈥淗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.
鈥淗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 鈥� 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鈥檝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.鈥�
On one of Wilson蘑菇视频 visit蘑菇视频 back home he had another opportunity to play college basketball.
鈥淚 came home and coach Asmonga called Lanny Van Eman who was head coach at Arkansas,鈥� Wilson recalled. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淪ports was a big part of my life,鈥� Wilson stated. 鈥淚t kept me grounded and it taught you how to get along with other people and be disciplined in whatever you do.鈥�
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.