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Glenn Wilkes

Men's Basketball Athletic Communications

Tributes Continue to Pour In as the Basketball World Remembers Glenn Wilkes

Just over a day since the passing of former Stetson basketball coach Dr. Glenn Wilkes, the basketball world is paying its respects.
 
Wilkes, 91, died late Saturday night. In 36 years as head coach at Stetson he amassed 552 wins. He is a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Naismith Coaches Circle at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 2019.
 
In addition to his work on the court, Wilkes gained acclaim as both an author on basketball and as an innovator of team camps. His Glenn Wilkes Basketball Schools, founded in the late 1950s, were the first of their kind in Florida and the South, and laid a blueprint for all of today's successful mega camps. The camps were so well regarded that Wilkes eventually became camp director for the Nike All-America Camp and the Michael Jordan Flight School.
 
Several of college basketball's heavyweights weighed in on Wilkes' passing, what he meant to them personally, and his impact on the game.
 
Kentucky head coach John Calipari called Wilkes "one of the best basketball minds I've ever been around" in a lengthy Twitter thread  
 Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams called Wilkes "a hero"  
Florida State assistant coach C.Y. Young said Wilkes was "one of the best to ever do it"  
Embry-Riddle head coach Steve Ridder said Wilkes was a "class act"  
Longtime close friend and camp partner, former USC head coach George Raveling lamented the loss of Wilkes, calling him a hero  
Former Stetson assistant and current Purdue Fort Wayne head coach Jon Coffman said he was "blessed" to know Wilkes  
Stetson women's head coach Lynn Bria shared her thoughts as well  
And Stetson men's head coach Donnie Jones called Wilkes "an iconic figure"  


The national media took note of Wilkes' passing as well.


ESPN's Dick Vitale called Wilkes "a great mind"
ESPN analyst and former head coach Seth Greenberg called Wilkes "one of college basketball's great ambassadors and teachers"  
Bob Pockrass, lead NASCAR report for Fox Sports and former Stetson beat writer with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, called Wilkes' death sad news  
ESPN analyst and former head coach Fran Fraschilla said "we lost a great man"
Former Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Sean Kernan called Wilkes a legend  
ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi spoke of Wilkes' "greatness in the game"

Former players remembered Wilkes fondly

Others from around the game shared their thoughts as well
 
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